The Andersons

We Love Jenny Auction

2011-01-30T20:27:00.001-05:00

Check it out!

http://mariananderson85.wordpress.com/2011/01/30/we-love-jenny-auction/

Don't Forget!

2010-11-23T22:03:00.002-05:00

Don't forget about the new blog:

mariananderson85.wordpress.com

It's worth taking the time to read. Promise!

A New Blog!

2010-10-02T22:28:00.000-04:00

I decided to start a new blog.

If you want to read it, go to mariananderson85.wordpress.com.

Disclaimer: It's not that exciting yet.

Happy Fall!

Love,

Marian

It's Always Fun For Everyone When Grandpa Comes

2010-09-22T12:45:00.000-04:00

Grandpa Brad stopped in last week before a business trip in New York.

We all had fun spending a few hours with him. It's always so nice to see your family.

Claire really enjoyed playing with Grandpa in our little neighborhood tot-lot.

And yes, Claire knows the number three. Hopefully we'll get one and two down shortly.

Indiana Jones Bugs

2010-09-22T12:35:00.000-04:00

We have these bugs that I call Indiana Jones Bugs.

They look like something that a bad guy would use to torture you in a movie,
hence Indian Jones.

Their real name is centipede or thousand-leggers.
Indiana Jones Bug is a much better name.

I despise them.

I despise their shiny bodies.

I despise their legs.

I despise the fact that their legs help them squirm away faster than I can kill them.

I despise the fact they charge at me from the extra closet in Claire's room.

I despise the fact they just don't die - except with bleach.

I despise the fact they have shown up in my house the past week with vengeance.

Indiana Jones Bugs...You will not win!

If I see you, you will meet you doom.

Get out of my house!

We’re No. 1(1)!

By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN

Published: September 11, 2010

I want to share a couple of articles I recently came across that, I believe, speak to the core of what ails America today but is too little discussed. The first was in Newsweek under the ironic headline “We’re No. 11!” The piece, by Michael Hirsh, went on to say: “Has the United States lost its oomph as a superpower? Even President Obama isn’t immune from the gloom. ‘Americans won’t settle for No. 2!’ Obama shouted at one political rally in early August. How about No. 11? That’s where the U.S.A. ranks in Newsweek’s list of the 100 best countries in the world, not even in the top 10.”

The second piece, which could have been called “Why We’re No. 11,” was by the Washington Post economics columnist Robert Samuelson. Why, he asked, have we spent so much money on school reform in America and have so little to show for it in terms of scalable solutions that produce better student test scores? Maybe, he answered, it is not just because of bad teachers, weak principals or selfish unions.

“The larger cause of failure is almost unmentionable: shrunken student motivation,” wrote Samuelson. “Students, after all, have to do the work. If they aren’t motivated, even capable teachers may fail. Motivation comes from many sources: curiosity and ambition; parental expectations; the desire to get into a ‘good’ college; inspiring or intimidating teachers; peer pressure. The unstated assumption of much school ‘reform’ is that if students aren’t motivated, it’s mainly the fault of schools and teachers.” Wrong, he said. “Motivation is weak because more students (of all races and economic classes, let it be added) don’t like school, don’t work hard and don’t do well. In a 2008 survey of public high school teachers, 21 percent judged student absenteeism a serious problem; 29 percent cited ‘student apathy.’ ”

There is a lot to Samuelson’s point — and it is a microcosm of a larger problem we have not faced honestly as we have dug out of this recession: We had a values breakdown — a national epidemic of get-rich-quickism and something-for-nothingism. Wall Street may have been dealing the dope, but our lawmakers encouraged it. And far too many of us were happy to buy the dot-com and subprime crack for quick prosperity highs.

Ask yourself: What made our Greatest Generation great? First, the problems they faced were huge, merciless and inescapable: the Depression, Nazism and Soviet Communism. Second, the Greatest Generation’s leaders were never afraid to ask Americans to sacrifice. Third, that generation was ready to sacrifice, and pull together, for the good of the country. And fourth, because they were ready to do hard things, they earned global leadership the only way you can, by saying: “Follow me.”

Contrast that with the Baby Boomer Generation. Our big problems are unfolding incrementally — the decline in U.S. education, competitiveness and infrastructure, as well as oil addiction and climate change. Our generation’s leaders never dare utter the word “sacrifice.” All solutions must be painless. Which drug would you like? A stimulus from Democrats or a tax cut from Republicans? A national energy policy? Too hard. For a decade we sent our best minds not to make computer chips in Silicon Valley but to make poker chips on Wall Street, while telling ourselves we could have the American dream — a home — without saving and investing, for nothing down and nothing to pay for two years. Our leadership message to the world (except for our brave soldiers): “After you.”

So much of today’s debate between the two parties, notes David Rothkopf, a Carnegie Endowment visiting scholar, “is about assigning blame rather than assuming responsibility. It’s a contest to see who can give away more at precisely the time they should be asking more of the American people.”

Rothkopf and I agreed that we would get excited about U.S. politics when our national debate is between Democrats and Republicans who start by acknowledging that we can’t cut deficits without both tax increases and spending cuts — and then debate which ones and when — who acknowledge that we can’t compete unless we demand more of our students — and then debate longer school days versus school years — who acknowledge that bad parents who don’t read to their kids and do indulge them with video games are as responsible for poor test scores as bad teachers — and debate what to do about that.

Who will tell the people? China and India have been catching up to America not only via cheap labor and currencies. They are catching us because they now have free markets like we do, education like we do, access to capital and technology like we do, but, most importantly, values like our Greatest Generation had. That is, a willingness to postpone gratification, invest for the future, work harder than the next guy and hold their kids to the highest expectations.

In a flat world where everyone has access to everything, values matter more than ever. Right now the Hindus and Confucians have more Protestant ethics than we do, and as long as that is the case we’ll be No. 11!

A version of this op-ed appeared in print on September 12, 2010, on page WK11 of the New York edition.

My Reward

2010-09-09T19:36:00.010-04:00

The past couple weeks I've been a slacker at running.

I had some legitimate excuses, but I can't use them anymore.

Today I made myself go. I didn't have much time, so I told myself, "Only 2 miles. That's it. Don't be lazy."

I walked out the door to a brilliant 60 degree morning with a slight breeze.

On my way back, I saw this little gem sitting on the side of the road with the trash.
No, not Claire, the table.

Thursday is big item trash day in my neighborhood.

Score!

I cleaned it and viola!

A free table in perfect condition.

No markers, crayons, glitter glue, nada.

Claire loves it.

Claire + Table = absolute joy

I love it because it was free.

The only problem is that I was going to get her a cute table for Christmas.

Now what to do?

I'm sure I'll figure it out.

OAMC

2010-08-28T21:17:00.002-04:00

The new school year starts Monday. That means our lives will get busy again. Busy is good, but busy makes it hard to get dinners ready. You see, Devin and I don't get home until about 7ish each night. We're tired and hungry. Claire needs to go to bed by 7:30. That only leaves about 30 minutes to fix dinner, eat it, and get Claire in bed. Basically, that's impossible. I wanted to try something new to alleviate the stress of dinner every night, so I decided to try once-a-month-cooking (OAMC) or freezer cooking.

The idea is that you plan what you want to eat for a month, make a shopping list, check the ads, find good deals, buy your groceries, save a lot of money, and spend one day a month cooking a bunch of different meals, freeze them, and have them ready to eat so you don't have to worry about dinner.

I did that. Kinda. I planned what we would eat for the next month, made a list, looked at the ads, found some deals that weren't so good, scooted over to Costco and bought a lot of meat, came home and cooked. I split the cooking up between 2 days. Why you ask?
1. Claire
2. Limited counter space
3. Limited supply of dishes
4. Limited dishwashers (Devin's been interviewing and doing school stuff so that leaves me. I despise dishes.)
5. It's been nice outside and I wanted to enjoy it before the heat and humidity come back
6. I was tired Friday after I made two weeks worth of food in three hours

I did the beef and pork recipes yesterday and the chicken recipes today. I used two crock pots. Now I know why you get so many when you get married. Too bad I re-gifted some...

I think it turned out pretty well. I'm proud of myself. I have a freezer full of meals frozen and ready to eat. We'll see how they taste in a couple weeks.

It certainly cut back on the grocery bill. Next month I'm going to scour the ads for good deals and plan my meals accordingly. I think this could be a very good system.

p.s. I found these blogs with recipes for condensed cream soup. Next month I'm making my own. It will be much cheaper (why is generic brand soup $1.00 on sale here?) and SIGNIFICANTLY less sodium which means healthy. Oh yeah, and no BPA in the cans. I'm excited.

The Pictures

2010-08-28T20:51:00.000-04:00

Sorry, they're blurry. They'll work.

The front. Don't judge.

The back. Cute curls

Together they make the baby mullet.

Now give me a kiss because I'm so cute.

Dear Claire,

2010-08-27T20:44:00.000-04:00

I am sorry for cutting your bangs too short today.
I am sorry your baby mullet is that much more pronounced. The curls are very cute, though.
I am sorry you look like something from the 80s. You're not, I promise.
Luckily for you, you are cute.
Luckily for you, Mom clips your hair back, so your short bangs won't be as noticeable.
Luckily for you, your bangs will grow back.
Luckily for me, you won't notice your bangs are too short.
Luckily for me, you won't hate me forever. Not even for a minute.
I just have to remember not to cut them too short when you are 8 or 9 or 10. Then we would have a problem. And you probably would hate me forever. Well, maybe not forever.
Thanks for being my cute little baby girl. I know you're not much of a baby anymore.
I love you.
Love,
Mommy

Road Trip!

2010-08-16T15:13:00.002-04:00

This past weekend we went on a road trip. Claire did amazingly well for as long as we were in the car. It turned out to be a great vacation. You will see a lot of pictures. Consider yourself warned.

We started off by heading up to Kirtland, Ohio to see some church history sites.

Our tour guide was Kevin from Australia. I liked him and his accent. He even took us upstairs when he didn't have to. Then he played photographer (he's keeping his day job, since none of them turned out.) We had someone else take this very nice picture though.

The temple was amazing! I can't believe the poverty stricken Saints could build a building that massive. The inside was beautiful as well. The Spirit was there and I am grateful we were able to visit.

My lovely solo shot in front of the welcome sign. It was so humid! My hair frizzed as soon as I stepped outside. Oh well.

We went through the Whitney Store. Awesome.

Joseph Smith used that table right there. Yep, that one. He translated, received revelations, all right there.

This is where the School of the Prophets was held. 25 men crowded in here. Great visions occurred here too.

Then we headed south to the John Johnson Farm. It was arguably my favorite. The house was awesome. Turquoise paint. Feather painted doors. Old. Fantastic.

This is the room where Joseph received Section 76 of the Doctrine and Covenants.

"And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives! For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father— That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God."

After we finished visiting the sites in Kirtland, we visited Niagara Falls.

This was before we got on The Maid of the Mist and voluntarily soaked ourselves.

The beautiful blue ponchos. They worked better as a greenhouse than a water guard.

Claire 200 feet from the bottom of the Falls.

Leaving the mists.

Now we come to the most exciting part of the trip for Claire. The water tower outside our hotel room.

Claire thought it was a ball and flipped out every time she saw it. Then she asked for more when it was no longer in sight. Ah the simple joys of childhood.

On our way home, we stopped in Pittsburgh to visit my beautiful friend Margaret.

She made us a delicious Sunday dinner. It was so good to see her after 1 1/2 years and catch up.

Too bad I didn't get a picture with her. This is an archive photo from the RA days...

We got home safe and sound.

Fabulous trip, but we all felt a little like this last night.

Claire

2010-08-16T13:41:00.000-04:00

Claire loves to eat yogurt, but she has to feed herself.

It's a messy ordeal.

She also likes to sit at the table instead of her high chair.

I really need to find a booster seat.

She loves new clothes.

Kohls was having a sale, so I stocked up for next year.

($2 for bottoms and tops, can't beat it...)

Claire carried around her new clothes for the rest of the day.

Feel free to sympathize for us when she is a teenager.

The Green Ones

2010-08-11T22:02:00.001-04:00

Devin bought Apple Jacks yesterday.
Claire loves them.
The green ones, that is. Just the green ones.
Never mind the rest of the box that have sweetened cereal with less food coloring.
Just eat the green ones.
At least I know her favorite color.

Congratulations Marian

2010-08-03T12:17:00.005-04:00

A couple months ago I made a goal to lose 5 pounds by the end of July.

I did it.

Thanks to all that sugar I stopped eating.

To congratulate myself I bought some Double Stuf (one f) Oreos.

Bad. Idea.

(4 cookies contain more sugar than I eat in a day)

I love those things.

I then proceeded to eat a majority of the package over the course of the day.

Sick. I know. Sick.

(Devin and Claire helped and there's still some left. I'm not THAT disgusting, but close)

My run this morning was very. very. very. hard.

Never again, Oreo.
Never. Again.

Our First Nats Game (And Claire's First Baseball Game)

2010-07-31T12:39:00.001-04:00

Yesterday Claire had her first major athletic experience. We have not taken her to a Diamondbacks game recently because it is doubtful one of those would qualify. Instead we took a trip to Nationals Park in DC to see the Nats take on the Phillies. We lucked out because it was a dry, cool evening in July, something we have not had for a long time.

There were a lot of people getting off the Metro. Off of one train. Good thing Metro has all the escalators and air conditioning working at the Navy Yard station for a change.

Here is Claire and Devin at the entrance

"I have pigtails." We are happy she has hair (finally!)

Claire eventually wore out and proceed to chill. The Nats won 8-1 and we had a wonderful time!

Dear Thunderstorm,

2010-07-26T10:01:00.000-04:00

Thanks for making the miserable heat go away for a night.

I am mad at you though.

Why did you kill the power for hours upon hours?

I'm glad you didn't take my power away.

But I really need milk, butter, eggs, and cheese.

I don't want another grocery store just to tell me they are not selling milk, butter, eggs, and cheese, again.

Thanks Thunderstorm for making my Monday that much more Mondayish.

Love,

Marian

Craigslist Steal

2010-07-25T16:04:00.001-04:00

My kitchen table was the place for bags, mail, papers, books, and whatever else needed to be set somewhere when I walked in the door or was cleaning or whatever.

It was driving me NUTS!

Until yesterday.

I found this beauty on Craigslist.

It's wood, like real wood.

I don't have to paint it.

The legs aren't broken off.

It doesn't smell funny.

Perfect.

Cheap - $15. Really.

(did I mention it's real wood?)

No more junk on my table.

Happy day!

Toddler

2010-07-25T15:57:00.007-04:00

"When did your little baby turn into a little girl?"

"I can't believe she's so big. When I first met you, she was a little baby."
"What a cute little girl!"

It has come to my attention that Claire is no longer a baby, but a cute little girl.

Too bad she has to grow up so fast.

*Sigh*

NO!

2010-07-19T16:55:00.001-04:00

Today my sweet little angel learned to say the word no.
She has been in timeout a lot today.
Welcome to the terrible twos.

July 11, 2010

2010-07-13T21:43:00.001-04:00

Claire went to nursery for the first time on Sunday.

Devin and I were very happy.

She made it through the first hour.

When they made her stop playing and come sit for singing time,

she realized mom had left.

She cried.

They brought her to me in Relief Society.

I took her back to nursery.

I sat in the corner.

She played with the toys.

She didn't pay any attention to me sitting in my corner.

I hope this is the start of something grand.

Now Devin and I can have Sunday School Dates.

Yes!

Vacation Part One: Arkansas

2010-07-11T22:10:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the long absence. We went on vacation. Enough said.

We started our adventures with the Isabell family in Arkansas. Devin finally got to meet my family on Dad's side and they finally got to meet Claire. It was so fun to be with them. We did lots of fun things. The highlight for Claire was the drive through safari. Seriously, this was the best zoo I have ever been too.

The joy Claire experienced was in her face.

She couldn't contain herself.

There were animals of every kind. We started off at the petting zoo with the goats, chickens, peacocks, and kangaroos.

Then we walked through and saw monkeys, baby tigers, lemurs, camels, parrots, giraffes, turtles, you name it. Since we were tired of walking, we got in the car for the drive through part.

We saw a lot of deer, more camels, wildebeests, buffalo, rhinos, lions, tigers, bears, antelope, impalas, emus, ostriches, zebras, more monkeys, and probably some other stuff I can't remember. It was awesome.

Claire with Great Grandpa and Grandma Isabell

Grandpa Shane and Claire posing with the gorilla statue.

The next day we went to the lake.

Claire enjoyed swimming with grandma while mom and dad attempted to wake board.

It was the perfect day to be on the lake. We were pretty exhausted when the day was over though.

We took a lot of family pictures. It's a good thing a couple turned out.

We had a lot of food, good times, late nights, and a lot of fun celebrating Grandpa and Grandma's 50th Anniversary!

Then we said our goodbyes and headed to Colorado to meet up with the Anderson side of the family.

Claire Likes Food

2010-06-17T09:22:00.002-04:00

Claire likes food. I've had to watch what she eats and when she eats it. Really. Or else she would eat all day, everyday and be a blimp.

Please notice her large stomach. No, she is not sticking it out on purpose. Yes, it is that big.

This was lunch the other day. She ate it all. She ate more than I did. Twenty minutes later, she was asking for a banana. I told her no. There's no possible way she was hungry.

She loves peanut butter on a spoon. She loves to eat it herself. She loves getting sticky.

She loves food so much, she even feeds her baby.
Don't worry, there is a pile of goldfish behind Claire that you can't see.
She definitely ate them all.

A Lunch Project

2010-06-16T20:10:00.004-04:00

Today I was browsing through Target and I found this little table runner.

I thought it was perfect for summer. Plus it was on sale for $6.98. I personally think that's a pretty good price. Not a steal, but pretty good. So I bought it. I came home and realized that it was a little too long. Claire would just love to grab an end and pull it, along with everything else, off the table.

I put on my thinking cap, got out my scissors and sewing machine and went to work, all while Claire was eating lunch.

I cut the runner into five pieces. I didn't even measure, in case you were wondering.

Then I sewed a little tote bag for Claire to use. She loves filling and emptying bags. Hopefully this will keep her occupied. Plus, we can fill it up with little library books.

Claire likes her bag.
I told her we were going bye-bye, so she ran and put it on her little shoulder.

After the bag was complete, I hemmed the table runner, cleared off my table, and gave myself a pat on the back. Not too bad for a lunchtime project.

Claire was my next project. This is what she looked like since I let her feed herself a yogurt.

It's Time

2010-06-06T19:00:00.045-04:00

Well, it's been a while. A very long while. So here it goes. Warning: this will be long.

First, Devin successfully (very, very successfully) finished his first year of law school. WOOHOO!!!

Let's hope his success helps land a job in a couple years.

Then, at the beginning of May, we went to Mesa to visit our fam.
Things we did:

-Marian's birthday party

-Mother's Day

-Talking to Elder Anderson

-Katy's Graduation

-5am walks with Claire (she didn't quite adjust to the time change) to see the animals by the Anderson's home

-Petting Zoo

-Relaxing

-Eating

-Bowling

-AZ Diamondbacks game (we lost, but we were in a suite, so that was cool)

-Meeting up with old friends

-Spending time with our favorite people

-Forgetting to take pictures (here are some we took)

It was a rejuvenating trip.

Then we came home.

Then we got ROCKED with a NASTY stomach flu.

That's all you need to know.

Then we recovered from our flu (it took a while).

Then it got hot and muggy.

Now we go swimming.

Claire HATED it at first.

She is slowly starting to warm up to the idea of playing in water that isn't in a bathtub.

Claire eats and eats and eats.

She is a bottomless pit.

Notice her chubby tummy.

It has expanded exponentially over the past couple weeks.
Contrary to popular opinion, she is not prego.

She also likes to read in the nude.
After she takes a bath.
It's awesome.

Devin had a birthday.

His favorite presents - Darkwing Duck Season 2 and Super Mario Galaxy 2. Yep, he's all grown up now.

We went to the Air and Space Museum part 2 out by the Dulles Airport. It was basically awesome.

There is a space shuttle and the Enola Gay in a massive hanger, just waiting for people to look at them. (There are lots of other things too, but those were my favorite.)

Now we are just enjoying life and taking things a day at a time.

Congratulations for making it through this post.

Old MacDonald Had a Farm

2010-05-01T10:18:00.003-04:00

In celebration of Devin finishing finals and Claire getting her father back, we went to Oxon Hill Farm.

It's about 15 minutes away, right off the Beltway, and happens to be a national park, so it's free.

Claire loved it. She's into animals right now. Going to the farm was perfect!

The Hayride around the farm was absolutely beautiful.

Claire's first encounter with the chickens.

She just couldn't get enough.

More chickens...

The ducks were being loud, whiny, and snapping at the fence, so she wasn't really a fan.

The cows were her favorite. She kept saying, "Moo, Moo, Moo" while screeching with excitement in between. It was cute.

We will be going back soon and often.

Goodnight!

2010-04-18T20:02:00.010-04:00

We may or may not have spoken in church today.

We may or may not have locked ourselves out of our condo today.

We may or may not have solicited the help of an 11 year old boy from our ward to climb up a ladder
we borrowed from some friends (thanks!)

to our little kitchen window that happened to be open so we could unlock our door and get inside.

We may or may not have started a little fire on the stove when we were making dinner.

We may or may not be going to sleep very, very early tonight because it was a stressful day.

Goodnight!

Entertainment

2010-04-17T18:06:00.002-04:00

I am horrible.

When I need to get something done, like clean the bathroom, unload the dishwasher, switch the laundry, and don't want a toddler under foot, I entertain Claire with fruit snacks and a movie. It gives me fifteen minutes...sometimes even a half hour.

I did it today. It is Saturday and the house needs to be clean for Sunday. That's a valid excuse, right?

Well, I happened to take a break to watch her. And this is what I saw. Isn't she cute?

P.S. I love her little dress. It's basically the cutest thing I've ever seen and it was only $9! Gotta love sales!

Request

2010-04-16T10:32:00.004-04:00

My beautiful mother requested a new picture of Claire.

She was running around trying to put this bag over her shoulder.

Yes, she still loves her binkies. Don't tell my pediatrician.

We haven't done much the past week or so. A lot of playing outside and running around. Maybe something fun will happen this weekend. We will see!

Today I Am Thankful

2010-04-07T14:59:00.003-04:00

I am thankful Claire took a long morning nap.

I am thankful Kohl's was having a sale on dresses for Claire, which motivated me to go there before stopping by Wal-Mart.

I am thankful I went earlier in the day rather than later.

I am thankful my brand new tire (like installed yesterday) went flat in the parking lot and not on the freeway or while I was hauling 3 kids around Falls Church, VA.

I am thankful my husband answered his phone and wasn't in class.

I am thankful that there was a service station across the street.

I am thankful I had my nice stroller in the car instead of my wimpy one.

I am thankful Barry bought me a Dr. Pepper and let me sit in his air conditioned office and told me not to worry.

I am thankful Barry changed my tire so I didn't have to (like I could have gotten the lug nuts off anyways...I'm a weakling).

I am thankful my spare tire was inflated.

I am thankful Costco does free tire replacements.

I am thankful the guy at Costco remembered me from yesterday and didn't make me wait in the long line before he looked at my tire.

I am thankful it only took 2 hours and not 4.

I am thankful for big glasses of ice water.

I am thankful for air conditioning.

I am thankful I am home and Claire is taking a nap.

I am thankful for family prayer in the morning.

I am thankful Heavenly Father watches out for His children.

Happy Easter, Happy Spring, Happy Happy Everything!

2010-04-05T09:52:00.006-04:00

We hope you had a wonderful Easter! We certainly did. To top it off, we watched General Conference and heard many testimonies of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Claire enjoyed her first Easter Egg Hunt. She would put an egg in her basket, then stop and open it up. Next year she will enjoy the candy that's inside the eggs. Conference doesn't start until 12 here, so we went for a nice walk on Sunday morning. Claire loved pushing her stroller around outside.
We introduced Claire to bubbles. At first she didn't understand what was going on, but then she started chasing them everywhere. We had a fabulous day and hope you did too!

"There Are More People Here Than at Disney World "

2010-04-05T09:23:00.012-04:00

Friday we went to the Cherry Blossom Festival. There were so many people there! I heard many people say "there are more people here than at Disney World." I haven't been, but I believe them.
We started off with a bite to eat outside the Capitol. Claire was so excited to run on the grass and play with her Dad.
Then we walked to the Tidal Basin and looked at all the beautiful trees while navigating through the masses of people.
Look at how many people were on the steps of the Lincoln! Just proof of the insane amount of people.
Claire let us know she was all done, but we were a little far from the metro.We gave her a bag of Sun Chips to keep her entertained. This is what the stroller looked like by the time we got to Foggy Bottom.

Sew...

2010-03-28T12:24:00.006-04:00

I'm busting out the sewing machine this week.

(I don't have to babysit)

It's about as dusty as this one

(although not as old and not as damaged)

Don't worry, I can't sew.

I just want to pretend I can.

I'll let you know if anything good comes out of it.

(If not, we'll just forget this post ever happened.)

Gogurt, Sleeping, and Being a Goof

2010-03-24T21:09:00.007-04:00

Claire and I went to the grocery store today. She wanted to touch everything on the shelves. I said no. Then Claire pointed to the Gogurt and I thought, "Hey, why not?" Claire had it for lunch. She loved it and was very upset when I took away the empty wrapper.This is Claire's new sleeping position. Face flat, arms folded under her chest, while on her knees with her bottom pointing straight up in the air. I don't know how this is comfortable, but she enjoys it.

Claire loves raiding the laundry basket that is on the floor (I know, I know, bad idea mom) and pushing her stroller around. It is hilarious to watch her put the clothes over her head and walk around, let alone push her stroller. What a goof!

The Park

2010-03-19T19:36:00.007-04:00

This week has been perfect weather wise. Claire has spent a lot of time outside. She loves dirt, grass, slides, and swings.

Mom has spent a lot of time in front of the sink with Spray 'n Wash getting stains out. Please notice the stains in all of the pictures. I now understand the meaning of play clothes.Claire adores balls of all kinds.
She is very good at stealing them from other children.
Luckily for Claire, the parents of other kids think it is a great opportunity to teach sharing.
This is our football. She stole it from Daddy and ran away. This is not our green ball.
Claire loves slides. She still hasn't figured out how to stay sitting up the entire time.
She likes to go down face first or feet first on her belly. I was trying to teach her how to slide on her bottom like a normal person. She enjoyed it. Claire and Daddy playing Frisbee.
Claire would get the Frisbee, run away, and have Devin chase her. It was cute. Claire was upset when we were leaving. Mostly because Daddy was holding her hand.
We have to practice not screaming when someone holds her hand. She doesn't like the confinement. Today was pretty good. She was still walking and only crying a little.

Hooray for Spring. I hope it's here to stay. Bring on the cherry blossoms!

Milestones

2010-03-19T19:28:00.004-04:00

This week Claire has reached some milestones in her little life.
1. Clips stay in her hair! I am so excited she has enough hair on her head to do something with.

I think little clips are so cute!2. We ordered Claire her very first meal from a restaurant. She usually mooches off mom or dad, but this time she got her very own grilled cheese sandwich. PLUS she ate it all. Completely gone. Way to go Claire!

3. She is getting MOLARS! Who knew a 14 month old could get molars? I wasn't ready for the shock of four sharp things poking my finger when I checked for new teeth. At least that explains why she has woken up 3 nights this week.

My baby is growing up. Sigh. I love her!

Finished!

2010-03-15T13:06:00.005-04:00

Claire's room had a big, blank wall. It took me a long time to figure out what to do with it. Thanks to some wonderful people, I was able to get it done!First off, Raylene and her vinyl made it all possible. If you need vinyl she's your go to girl! Anything you want. Seriously. She has amazing prices!

Next, Robert Munsch for being a wonderful children's book author. And to my mom, for reading me this book, which I love!

Then there is Kristi who gave Claire the tutu for her birthday. I love it, Claire doesn't. (Kristi, did I ever tell you that she doesn't like to wear it?) Maybe she'll want it more now that she can't touch it.

Finally, thanks to craft stores, Target, Costco, and my husband for helping me complete the shelf ensemble.

Really, this was a team effort.

The Best Apple Pie Ever

2010-03-15T12:13:00.004-04:00

In honor of pi day yesterday, Devin and I decided we wanted eat a pie. Since we wanted to eat one, we had to make it.We had an abundance of apples in our fridge, so apple pie was the pie of choice. I had never made an apple pie before. I didn't even have a recipe. I turned to allrecipes.com and found the easiest and most delicious apple pie ever! Please try it and savor the yumminess of it.

P.S. We changed a few things.

We only used 3 apples - and it was plenty.

For the filling we cooked everything on the stove on low for about 10 minutes, added 1 tbsp. of lemon juice and 2 tbsp. of cornstarch.

For the crumble top we added 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup flour.

Enjoy!

P90X

2010-03-13T13:01:00.003-05:00

Devin and I do P90X. Claire likes to do whatever we do.
She loves to do pull-ups.
If any of you do P90X and think of wimping out next time you see that bar,
just remember if Claire can do pull-ups, you can do pull-ups.

We Love Grandma!

2010-03-13T12:40:00.004-05:00

Grandma Ida came to visit last weekend. It was so fun to have her here. Claire enjoyed the attention. Devin and I enjoyed our time without a baby.

We went to the National Cathedral and the Air and Space Museum. Devin gave us the grand tour of GW Law.Claire had fun playing with Grandma!

Cute Things Claire Does

2010-03-13T12:31:00.003-05:00

Here are some cute things Claire does.

She smiles her pretty smile for pictures.

She wears Daddy's "haaa haaa haaa" hats.

She dances or just runs around when she wears Daddy's "haaa haaa haaa" hats.

She reads books.

Most of all, Claire makes us very happy.

Apples

2010-02-21T13:05:00.005-05:00

Apparently Claire likes apples. Not an apple cut into pieces, the entire thing.

I usually cut up some pieces and let her eat them in her high chair.

Well, yesterday I was eating an apple while sitting on the floor. When I wasn't paying too much attention, Claire came and swiped it from me and started chomping away.

It was so cute. I laughed in amazement at her little personality. I stuck her on the couch and let her eat.

P.S. She loves being on the couch because then she is being a big girl.

What Are You Doing?

2010-02-15T17:07:00.005-05:00

Claire's new thing is to walk around with clothes over her head.

We ask her "what are you doing?" and she just laughs.

She then proceeds to walk around, usually running into walls.

What a goof!

Crayons

2010-02-11T19:55:00.026-05:00

Today Claire walked to the front door and started waving bye bye. Even she was stir crazy.

Devin and I felt bad that all she played with for 5 days was the salad spinner, the Wii nun-chucks, the computer mouse, and pens she illicitly stole from the night stand. We wanted to foster her creativity and direct her away from the pens.

Behold the crayons.

Claire loves them!

Now we have to teach her not to eat them and to color on paper.

Good luck!

Mom, I'm coloring here.

Yay for crayons!

Notice the shirt Daddy found for $1.75! Way to go!

Concentration.

Icicles

2010-02-11T18:48:00.007-05:00

I never thought this would be hanging outside my bedroom window.

It's beautiful, large, and probably deadly. Good thing no one can walk anywhere near it.

This is the one hanging over the door to our balcony.

It's impressive and probably deadly too. Good thing we can't open the door because of the 3 feet of snow blocking the way.

Snowpocalypse

2010-02-06T19:59:00.007-05:00

Last week when I said it might never snow again in DC, I was being sarcastic. I completely expected to be pounded with snow one more time. And boy did it ever snow.

We thought December's storm was bad. This one was much worse.

This time we were prepared.

The weather forecasts had people panicking on Tuesday (oh yeah, it was snowing then...).

Thursday night was insanity at any store that might sell food or snow shovels.

(Thank goodness the Prophet tell us to have a 72 supply of essentials. This is one example of why.)

Friday morning was bad, but not as bad as Thursday night. I actually went to the store and got some produce to last through the weekend.

Then it started. 10 AM Friday morning.

Then it stopped. 5 PM Saturday evening.

This is the result.

The Altima

The tennis court in our backyard

Devin and his шопка.

Claire DOES NOT like the snow

Claire DOES NOT like Devin's шопка (shopka).

She wouldn't let him hold her.

From a distance.

Our unofficial snow total...

23 inches!

What?

And they told me it doesn't snow that much in DC.

Liars.

Batting 1.000

2010-02-02T11:43:00.017-05:00

Just so you know, my husband rocks.

Isn't he handsome?

He rocked his first semester of law school.

His grades prove it.

He rocked his first job interview he had on Friday.

The job offer he received on Monday proves it.

He will be working across the street from this house.

He's a great husband and dad.

His happy wife and daughter prove it.

So if you didn't know already, I love Devin!

Yep, It Snowed

2010-01-31T17:15:00.002-05:00

It snowed yesterday.

When it snows here, they shut down everything.

Church was canceled. Hmmm...

We decided to go see the pretty snow covered monuments, in case it never snows like this again.

I'm pretty sure it will, but mother nature can go ahead and prove me wrong!

Happy Birthday!

2010-01-29T14:15:00.000-05:00

January is a month full of birthdays in our family!

Today we want to wish my beautiful mother a very happy birthday. She is as good as a mom can get. I'm glad to call her mine! Isn't she pretty?

(4 generations)

We also want to wish Uncle Elder Tyson a very happy birthday and hope he got our present.

He is serving the Lord in Toronto Canada and he's almost been gone a year. We can't believe it!

(It goes a lot faster when your not the one "waiting" for him to come home.)

Hooray for January 29th!

I Must Confess

2010-01-29T11:35:00.002-05:00

Confession. Winters are hard for me. Sometimes it is beautiful. For the most part, I don't like them. I hate the cold. I hate not going outside. I hate that when I go outside, I freeze. I hate taking Claire outside knowing she must be freezing too. I hate keeping Claire confined to 1200 square feet of hardwood floor. I hate wearing sweaters and sweatshirts because I feel very fat in them. I hate the fact that I'm never quite warm enough.

I'm sure you get the picture.

Winters put me in a mood that is hard to shake.

The sun helps, but it doesn't seem to be out very long.

Lately, my escape has been books. I love books. They let me go to a far away place and meet dynamic people. Some people I don't like very much, some people are good for a laugh, and others I wish were my next door neighbor so we could be best friends.

In the past four days, I've read two books. They have made me very happy, although my house is very, very messy.

I loved this book. The characters were so real and dynamic. The letters they wrote made me smile. They made me be grateful for everything I have. They made me want to travel. They made me want to read more books. All kinds of books.

Then I read about Cecelia Rose and her Great Aunt Tullulah and wanted to go live in Savannah, Georgia. Ok, I've always wanted to visit Savannah, but this just rekindled the interest. The joys of Southern hospitality! Again, these characters were wonderful and reading this book made me happy.

Spring is coming. They say it'll come to DC around March and certainly by April. That will help. In the meantime, I'm going to go check some more books out at the library.

Have a great day!

The End of the Day

2010-01-26T20:43:00.011-05:00

I was very excited when Claire went to sleep tonight. I was ready for a good book and a good TV show.

This is the good book.

This is the good show

I don't like the red team.

Jillian needs to lay off the counseling sessions.

Now I'm going to get a big glass of chocolate milk and fall asleep on the couch while I wait for my husband to get home.

What a great way to end the day!

It's a Party!

2010-01-24T18:44:00.014-05:00

Today we had a little party for Claire.

She was our princess for the day!

We are glad our friends could come and celebrate with us!

(We missed our friends who were taking their afternoon naps)

Here's the pretty table mommy decorated.

Opening presents with my friend Lily.

Playing with my dolly.

The castle cake

Eating the cake. It was pretty good.

The best part was when we sang happy birthday. Claire loved it!

Happy Birthday!

2010-01-21T08:05:00.000-05:00

Today is Claire's birthday!

We can't believe our baby went from this

to this already!

We love you Claire!

So...

2010-01-07T11:33:00.002-05:00

Christmas in AZ was great! It was fun to see family and friends and be warm.

Claire learned how to walk. She is so cute holding her hands up in the air everywhere she goes!

We flew back New Years Eve - PERFECT! The flight was empty so
Claire had her own seat.The airport was empty. I enjoyed it!

Now we're back to the grind.

It's FREEZING!

We applied for 80 internships this week,
with more on applications on the way.

Devin is at school.

I'm babysitting.

Claire won't take naps again.

I'm still sick.

Vacations are wonderful! I miss it already!

Christmas!

2010-01-07T11:29:00.005-05:00

We had a great time in Arizona during our Christmas vacation.

We are lucky enough to have our families very close to each other.

We started Christmas morning off at the Isabells and then went to the Andersons. It was a great time.

Claire enjoyed the wrapping paper.

Mom enjoyed opening all of Claire's presents.
We enjoyed talking to Elder Tyson Anderson in Canada. Ni hau, eh?

Dad enjoyed taking pictures. Ok so we took more video than pictures.

And Claire played with her second cousins.

It was so fun to be with our family.

We miss them!

Family Pictures

2010-01-07T11:07:00.006-05:00

Family Pictures courtesy of Annie

Layton was the official "make Claire smile" person

It was fun!

The Anderson Apothecary

2009-12-20T17:47:00.000-05:00

We are sick.
This is our bathroom counter.
If you need any cold remedies, try us. We might have it.

Missing:

2009-12-10T13:56:00.002-05:00

Missing:

Size 3 (yes I have small feet)

Black Mary Jane shoe from Target

Left shoe (just the left one)

Last seen Monday night 6 pm in the car while I was headed home.

Noticed missing Tuesday morning 11:30 am

I need it ASAP

Soon, before mom goes crazy trying to figure out where I took it off AGAIN!

Yes, I said again, because mom already bought another pair of the SAME EXACT SHOES!

Yes, I lost the left foot AGAIN.

Yes, I have TWO shoes for my right foot.

No, mom is not looking forward to buying the SAME set of shoes for the 3rd time.

Reward for anyone with insights into how I lost the shoe and how to reclaim my mother's sanity. (Reward may include cheerios, a bottle, or a crazy game of peek-a-boo).

Love,

Claire

It's Christmas Time!

2009-12-08T09:59:00.000-05:00

Thank you Simon Dewey for this beautiful painting!

One day I will own it.

Merry Christmas

Random

2009-12-08T09:51:00.001-05:00

I went through our pictures and was reminded of stuff we've been doing lately.

We went to the DC Temple Visitor's Center. They have beautiful Christmas Trees everywhere. My favorite was the tree covered with Africa decor.

The temple is just beautiful!

Claire likes to sit in the bathroom sink while I get ready. It's easier than having her climb all over me.

I guess I haven't been giving her very good makeup lessons. I must do better!

Thanksgiving

2009-12-08T09:43:00.000-05:00

I've been lax at updating the blog. I'm just not that into it at the moment. Oh well.

For Thanksgiving we took a little trip to Philadelphia to check out the sites. It was a fun, non-traditional way to spend the day.

Claire was a little aprehensive of the hotel room, but once she started exploring, she ate it up!

We saw Constitution Hall (yes I need a haircut)

the Liberty Bell

The First Bank of the United States (looks like a temple huh? problem...)

We walked through China Town. It was great until smell of fresh fish on the corners made me sick.

We ate lunch at McDonald's - c'mon how much more American can we get? Or maybe we're just fat.

We watched some football and some parades.

We went shopping - Old Navy had some killer deals

We ate dinner at a restaurant. No - it wasn't a Thanksgiving meal, but it was good food and fun. We did celebrate with pumpkin cheesecake and I made a pumpkin pie when we got home.

We enjoyed the little trip!

Books I Liked, So You Might Too

2009-11-23T21:49:00.003-05:00

I went on a reading frenzy the past few weeks.

I still have 2 more books on my nightstand to read before the library wants them back. So far, I've been pleasantly pleased with all my selections. (That usually doesn't happen.)

If you're looking for something, you could try these.

The Host

by Stephenie Meyer

I was skeptical at first, but I couldn't put it down. (Ask Devin)

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

by John Boyne

Hauntingly, profoundly, simple and thought provoking.

The Secret Life of Bees

by Sue Monk Kidd

Just a good story.

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

by David Wroblewski

A good novel that kept me reading.

Pictures of Claire that are Cute

2009-11-14T18:36:00.003-05:00

Claire was a giraffe for Halloween.

We went to our ward Trunk or Treat, but we didn't go out because

1. It was raining

2. Devin and I couldn't justify using Claire to satisfy a sweet tooth

Claire was just really happy and cute, so we snapped some pics. Enjoy!

The Capitol

2009-11-14T18:29:00.003-05:00

The Capitol is another of DC's massive buildings that we went to see.

It took us a while to get there.

You see, I suffer from a thing called motion sickness.

I get sick on everything that moves - rides, planes, boats, swings, cars, and yes, even the metro.

Today, we decided we didn't want to wait for the Yellow line train, so we took the Blue line train.

The Blue line has a lot more stops.

Note to self - stop and go is not good if you get sick easily.

Luckily for me, I remembered that at Foggy Bottom, there is a street vendor at the top of the escalator that sells hot dogs, pretzels, and...

We made it out, barely. Like one more minute and I would have vomited in the metro station.

Devin got me a drink and we walked to the next metro stop.

I felt better, so we continued on the journey.

We made it in and started the tour with a video about Congress.

Then we walked to the Rotunda.

It is big and there are a lot of statues and paintings.

We walked through another room that had awful acoustics. You could hear someone talking across the room better than the person standing next to you. Devin and I enjoyed the presentation.

This was a cool statue.

What a cute family!

The Zoo

2009-11-14T17:50:00.003-05:00

We have had two weekends in a row where it hasn't been raining! We took advantage of both days with little excursions to DC sights.

We went to the National Zoo. Claire loves her books about animals, so Devin and I thought she would like seeing them in person.

She wasn't impressed.

Devin and I had a good time, though.

The panda was the best part of the trip. Can you see it?

I can't remember the last time I went to the zoo.

The flamingos are still really pink. Seriously, how do they stand like that?

The orangutans were climbing around above our heads. It was neat to watch them use their feet to walk across the ropes.

Claire was excited to go "bye-bye."

Costco

2009-10-29T14:46:00.003-04:00

Going to Costco here is an adventure.

Every time I go, I see people with the most random combination of things in their shopping carts.

Today was no exception.

Picture this:

Two men dressed in incredibly nice pinstriped suits with alligator skin shoes.

They are speaking to each other in wonderful British accents.

They have 3 items in their cart.

Wine - 3 ginormous cases.

Bleach - 3 huge bottles

Slim Jims - 3 cases of meaty goodness.

That's it. Nothing more. I watched them load it in the back of a black SUV.

I love Costco.

Jamestown

2009-10-24T20:25:00.003-04:00

On Friday, we took a little day trip to Jamestown.

The drive was absolutely beautiful.

Red, yellow, orange leaves were everywhere.

We walked around the replica of the original colony.

I noticed the dirt everywhere.

Then we walked around the Indian village.

Their homes were much warmer than those of the English.

Then we walked down the boardwalk.

Can you say claustrophobia in those tiny boats for 5 months?

The breeze was fabulous.

It was a perfect day outside.

Then we toured the museum.

It was interesting to learn about the things the early settlers went through.

I loved the original paintings, furniture, vases, clothing, etc. featured in the museum.

Things that say circa 1590 or circa 1614 are old.

I love to look at them.

Devin and I sporting some metal.

It was heavy.

Claire didn't know what to think of the chickens that were walking around.

A nice time in the handmade boat.

My hips almost didn't make it in.

Those people were little.

Devin showing off his mad bowling skills.

Even in the dirt he is awesome.

I'm A Big Girl Now!

2009-10-18T16:53:00.000-04:00

Claire is going through this "big girl" stage. It's cute and frustrating at the same time.

She learned how to pull herself up and she is proud of herself.

This one complicates matters a bit. You see, she is not very stable. She's fallen over a lot the past week. Nothing serious, just the "I fell and now I'm going to scream until you distract me, so hurry and pick my up!" type of falls.

She won't play in her saucer anymore unless there are a lot of cheerios to keep her entertained. She wants to stand up on the side of it to play with the toys that are attached to it. Problem...It's too wobbly for her and she falls over when she reaches too far.

The biggest problem is that she pulls herself up in her crib the instant she wakes up. An even bigger problem is that she doesn't know how to get back down. She has never been a good sleeper, but we finally got her to take decent naps and only wake up once at night. Now, after 20 minutes of a nap, she wakes up, stands up, and cries. Then she refuses to go back to sleep. I can't let her "cry it out" anymore because she is standing and doesn't get down.

Nights are even worse. I was finally getting some sleep. Now she's up at 12 and instead of crying herself to sleep, she's standing up screaming. I put her back down, she pops back up. Half and hour later, we finish the fight and mom wins (of course) but I'm exhausted. That happens at least once, if not 2 more times. Ugh. But whenever I go in to see her she has the biggest smile on her face and starts bouncing up and down because she is so proud of herself. I just can't stay frustrated at the little cutie.

Then there is the food.

She wants to eat whatever Devin and I are eating.

We share our meals with her and she loves it.

When it's something she can't eat, she throws a fit.

Now she won't her her baby food.

It's a battle and I make the silliest faces, sing silly songs, and do anything I can to get her to eat her own food. I know she's hungry, but she refuses to eat.

So I give in (Claire wins).

I make her some toast, veggies, eggs, or give her those reliable cheerios (we prefer the MultiGrain kind)

In other news...

She loves movies, especially those on the bottom shelf that she can pull out many times a day.

She still loves her daddy and the guitar!

Basically, Claire is 9 months old, growing up, and throwing her parents curve balls already. We love it!

Book Review:The Lost Symbol, by Dan Brown

2009-10-11T13:44:00.001-04:00

I have to confess that I am an adventure and thriller junkie. I am happy to through plausibility out the window for joy rides of semi-historical treasure-hunts (see my undying love for the Indiana Jones series and fondness for National Treasure) or the unraveling of mass terrorist conspiracies (Exhibit A: 24). I'm a sucker for cliff-hangers, which always make me say "Okay, just one more chapter" or "Let's just watch the next episode." (PS: TV on DVD was brilliant).

Dan Brown is best known for his pseudo-writing of pseudo-historical pseudo-novels. I picked up Da Vinci Code during my freshman year of college and really enjoyed the drive. I never really got into the controversy of the "Dan Brown theology," but I thought the book did shed some light on the history of the Catholic Church (i.e. Nicean Creed, uninspired changes to doctrine, etc.). To me, it was an adventure first, screenplay second, and history/literature never. Same goes for Angels and Demons.

The Lost Symbol is the latest Robert Langdon adventure and takes place here in Washington, D.C. as Langdon tries to solve the latest world-threatening plot. This time, it involves Masons and the ultimate source of knowledge...or something like that. I had decent expectations for this book. I thought it would give a stylized glimpse into the Masons (let's be honest, it has a connection to the founding of this country and also the LDS Church) and give me a satisfying couple-days' read.

In the end, I was disappointed. The climax was neither climatic or surprising and the "twist" was utterly foreseeable. The plot was SO formulaic that I could predict some of the events. In fact, Slate magazine has a site where you can create the plot for the next Dan Brown novel and you have to laugh because it's true. In fact, the aspect I enjoyed most about the book was the pseudo-historical insight into the connections between Masons and America. Don't get me wrong--it's a good airplane read and it can pass the time. Each chapter is a cliffhanger and you are forced to continue reading. The novel also has its moments of adventure and action, but they are unfortunately few and far between. I enjoyed the book, but this is Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull or Season Six of 24. Nothing more.

I Thought This Was Cute...

2009-10-06T12:54:00.002-04:00

I saw this hat and cardigan and thought, "Hey, that's cute.
(Minus the people and plus flowers). I'll make it for Claire."

I went to the store, bought some yarn and crochet hooks.

Then I thought, "Hey, you've never crocheted in your life."

Problem, no...Whatever, I can at least try. Right?

Come back when I post my attempt at a hat and cardigan.

It will give you something to laugh about.

Amen

2009-10-02T11:00:00.001-04:00

As I'm standing in my bedroom folding laundry, I'm listening to Mormon Radio.

They are interviewing a reverend from a SLC Baptist church about families.

He says everyone is important.

"God duhn't make any junk."

Claire Update

2009-09-24T12:42:00.009-04:00

It's been a while since we've had a post completely devoted to Claire. This is for the Grandmas!
Stats:
8 months old
18 1/2 pounds
26 1/2 inches long
Both are right at the 50th percentile
Plus two cute little bottom teeth
Things she does:
Waves bye-bye
Gives kisses - especially when she wants something!
I don't know where she learned that from, but it works :)
Plays Peek-a-Boo

Army crawls
She hasn't learned how to use that left hand to hold herself up.She is very efficient at army crawling.
This is what happens when I turn around for 10 seconds.
Next time I'll make sure to have the lid of the Desitin on tight.
Fake cries whenever she wants attentionShe loves turning pages of books and gets frustrated when she can't grasp the pages.

Things she does not do:
Hold a bottle
Only if she is lying down and really really wants it
Sleep!
Ok, she's doing better. She takes about 1 - 2 hour naps 2 times a day.
She goes to bed at 8, but will wake up at 12 and 3.
I let her cry at 12, but usually feed her at 3 and then she's good until 7.
I'm grateful it's only a couple times a night. Much, much, much better.
Hold food
When she realizes she can eat something, she lets go of it, opens her mouth,
and wants to be fed - except graham crackers, she holds those.

She loves going for walks and being outside.
She climbs all over mom and dad.
The wind makes her laugh.
Her favorite things to eat are bananas and rice cereal.
She's not as picky as she once was.
She HATES sweet potatoes.
Claire is a doll and we love her!

I Want This...

2009-09-23T11:40:00.005-04:00

Thank you Pottery Barn.
Maybe I can use Craigslist and refinish something like it.

Dear Target

2009-09-19T21:20:00.003-04:00

Dear Target,

Thank you for being 5 minutes away from my house. Thank you for letting me visit you 4 times this week. Thank you for being clean. Thank you for not being crowded. I just have one little question...why are you hiding fly swatters from me? All I want to do is smack some bugs that are flying around my house. Is that too much to ask?

Marian

"No, It’s Not About Race"

2009-09-18T13:39:00.004-04:00

Yesterday I said I missed the NY Times. Let me narrow that down a little more. I mostly missed reading the OpEd Column in the Times. They have liberals and conservatives writing columns. Reading both views helps me cultivate my own opinions and challenge my thinking.

David Brooks hit it right on the head with his column that I read this morning. He makes a convincing argument in a well written, civilized piece. There need to be more people who express their opinions like he does - presenting the argument without bashing one group or the other. It's refreshing.

Read it here.

We've Arrived!

2009-09-17T12:52:00.008-04:00

Well, one month after I arrived in Virginia, we finally got the internet working. I feel like a new person who actually lives in the 21st century. Things I missed in no particular order....Blogging, Facebook, NY Times, Google Maps, Gmail, LDS.org, ESPN, Craigslist, and Wachovia. I am grateful for the iPhone. It saved our lives. I just have to say a real computer with the internet is exponentially better!

Now for the exciting stuff.

Our condo is fantastic. We love it! Two bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen, dining area, family room, six -yes I said six- closets, a washer and dryer, a basement storage room, an attic, a balcony, easy access to the tennis court and pool in our backyard. Needless to say, we are not lacking for space or storage. The walls are painted a calming tan with bright white woodwork. There are nice blinds and gorgeous hardwood floors. The carpet in the bedrooms is exceptionally plush and soft. The master bedroom is huge. We could fit a couch in here and still have plenty of room. We have an abundant amount of light, thanks to the multiplicity of large windows. There is no doubt that we have moved up when it comes to dwelling places.

The location is great too. We are right off the 395, about 10 minutes from church, close to Target, The Pentagon, and the rest of DC for that matter.

Our ward is fabulous - although it's MASSIVE - 750 members with over 400 attending every week and 58 infants. There are 4 chairs in the mothers lounge and usually a couple people waiting. Most people are students, lawyers, or working for the government in some way. It's great to be around so many people in our situation. We've already made some good friends. Plus we already have callings. I'm on the Enrichment Committee and Devin is a District Supervisor for home teaching.

We've done the tourist thing a bit. We took Claire to the Museum of Natural History. She fell asleep - of course. Dev and I enjoyed the giant squid and the gemstones. We didn't take pictures because the camera was dead. We also went to the National Cathedral. It was incredible. I want to go to Europe and see the cathedrals that were built in the 14th century. One day I'll get there.

Life is great. We like it here. If you ever want to visit, let us know!

The Newest Profanity: "The C-word" (Compromise)

2009-09-14T12:31:00.003-04:00

In a (perhaps) misguided attempt at a joke, I updated my Facebook status to say "Glenn Beck is a goon." Within the next 3 hours, it became my most popular post ever - more so than when Claire was born. 5 people "liked" it and here is a sampling of the comments:

"Also last week he [Beck] claimed that if you take the first letters of the words "Obama, "left," "internationalist," "graft," "ACORN," "revolutionaries," and "hidden agenda," you get the word "OLIGARCH," which proves once and for all that Obama's trying to undermine democracy. And if that wasn't crazy enough, he misspelled "oligarch" in the process."

"Oh gosh! Darn him to heck. Heaven forbid the fact that he is a human being and makes gramatical errors. I guess that makes most of us, if not all of us liars. Lets talk policies and intentions of Barack and not bash others that oppose him. Sincerley, a concerned citizen that loves the constitution."

"Glenn Beck is a goon. And he's a very concerned american. A very concerned american goon."

"As a foreign bystander, I have o say that Beck is a goon, if not more than a little unhinged. Besides, if your very clever argument rests on spelling, then yes, spelling errors are an issue."

"Lets start sippin on some kieth olberman hater aid. How come that never happens. It makes me sad to see soooo many fellow americans confused. I hope conservatives either independent or republican can put together a good ticket. 2012 cant come soon enough."

"Devin, you have to use a "I love the constitution" or "I love my country" shield before saying that. Then you can say whatever you want. That's the rules. But don't worry...you can use it at the end of an argument to make everything you said prior valid and irrefutable. Go ahead. Try it."

If you want more, you can visit my Facebook page. Needless to say, I did not anticipate such a reaction. As I talked to Marian about it, though, I am increasingly concerned about the polarization of our political discourse as a whole. I came across a scripture yesterday that I believe speaks of this human tendency in Paul's 2nd letter to Timothy: "For the time shall come when they shall not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." (2 Tim. 4:3-4).

Let me be clear: political talk generally does not come close to religious doctrine, and I do not intend to make a religious statement right here. Rather, I would turn attention to the principle of close-mindedness Paul warns of. People who have "itching ears" and "heap to themselves teachers" while "turn[ing] away their ears from the truth" are those who seek to hear only what they want to. That has a specific religous meaning, but also one in our day-to-day lives: We seek to morph reality to their own personal worldviews. While this is everyone's prerogative, the warning is that - unlike the previous active verbs (i.e. heap to themselves, turn their ears) - we open ourselves to "be turned unto fables" (emphasis added). In other words, we forfeit some of our ability to choose.

My original statement regarding Mr. Beck was out of a reaction to a false statement he mde. It is my same reaction to Mr. Wilson's outburst during the President's recent speech. Both of these men were simply not stating the truth. And yet, because their non-truths correspond to some ideology that some subscribe to, people believe it. The unfortunate truth is that people treat what Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Keith Olbermann, Rush Limbaugh, Rachel Madoww and all of these other TV or radio personalities say as "the way it is." Fact. End of story. Revelation. I think that is both foolish and lazy and it is undermining our society.
In a recent Washington Post article, the author made the following comment:

"The town-hall shout-downs around health-care reform we witnessed this summer are part of 'a contagious culture of closed-mindedness [that] threatens to suffocate' our national political progress.

"'Increasingly, the willingness to change one's position on political issues has been misread as a mark of weakness rather than a product of attentive listening and careful deliberation.' . . . In our sound-bite world there is no time for discussion about whether a leader can reconsider or learn something new that changes her or his perspective.

We've substituted label-making for thinking, and the side that brands its opponents with the stickiest put-down often comes out on top. As Ruiz points out, "we tend to listen only to like-minded opinions as media fragmentation encourages us to filter out varying perspectives." Some of our most commercially successful political and social commentators are those who have staked out the most extreme positions. For them the other side is always wrong, listening is unnecessary, and compromise is a sign of weakness or selling out."

The author then goes on to point out that our nation was founded on that wretched, vulgar, demonized c-word: compromise. The Constitutional Convention would have been a spectacular failure were it not for figures such as Ben Franklin, who would listen to both sides, even after they had formed an opinion. Franklin said, "[I have often been forced] by better information or fuller consideration to change opinions . . . which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise. It is therefore that the older I grow, the more apt I am to doubt my own judgment, and to pay more respect to the judgment of others."

It is Glenn Beck's right to call Obama a "racist." It is Keith Olbermann's right to call Bush a "criminal." It is your right to listen to them, to advocate their positions and to have tea parties, protests and the like. (p.s. Isn't it ironic that these events are called tea parties? Didn't these occur because the Boston residents were being taxed without representation? Don't we have representatives?). My concern is that people didn't watch Obama's speech. They waited for Glenn, Rush, Keith or Bill to tell them what Republicans or Democrats should think. They haven't read the Constitution since grade school - but if Rush says it's there, it's there. They don't read the news stories behind the issues discussed. My concern is that we have gotten stupider as a nation, that we have ceased in our personal strive to educate ourselves on the issues and have taken the lazy, made-for-mass-consumption, farcical news commentary as "what I think about that."

I am a conservative. I believe in small government. I believe in the market. I believe religous morals have a place in government. But I read Paul Krugman, I voted for Barack Obama, and I read the Wall Street Journal, New York Time, Washington Post, and The Economist. I don't have cable, so I don't watch any of those shows. Call me an idealist, but I don't believe that Obama is set on destroying the country, that Bush is a criminal, that poor people shouldn't get health care, we should sent 12 million people back to Latin America, or that we should fight for decades overseas. I don't claim to be smarter than anyone, but I rightfully and honestly claim the ability to state an opinion as my own. I would hope people would do the same and really take a look at both sides. If someone yelled at Obama that he lied about providing health care to illegals, then go and look to see if that someone was right. He wasn't.

We still don't have internet.

2009-09-05T16:27:00.002-04:00

We still don't have the internet.
It is very, very, very lame.
Comcast is coming to fix our line next Saturday.
Ugh.
It really should not be this hard to connect to the internet.
We do live in the 21st Century.
Oh well.
Virginia is great.
Devin likes school.
Claire has 2 teeth.
I am a mom.
College football starts today.
Fabulous!

One Month Later

2009-08-13T19:13:00.009-04:00

Yes, I'm a slacker.
Yes, it's been a month.
Yes, I'm sorry.

Now that I've apologized here are my excuses.
I've been busy (kinda)... ok not really.
I haven't had my own computer.
Our lives have been pretty boring...good, but not much blog-worthy stuff.

Now that you've read my excuses, this is what we've been up to.

We went to a Diamondbacks game with my family (minus Claire and Mom). It was eventful. We were asked to leave for our own safety (gasp I know). So we don't have any pictures.In a nutshell, there was this lady behind us who was using very very very foul language and I nicely turned around and asked her to not say such awful things. She went berserk, tried to verbally insult me from her seat. When I ignored her, she came down to do something to me. Devin and my dad told her to stop, she tried to get to me, so Dad held her and her boyfriend back. Then she pushed Dad, spit at him and Devin (it was sick and very pathetic), and fought with the security guards on her way out. We gave our statements to the police, while she was hysterical and then left so she couldn't come after us. It was an adventure. Needless to say, I'll keep my mouth shut next time and just complain to security. I just wasn't expecting that type of reaction.
The view off our balcony.
We spent a few days at Laguna Beach with Devin's family. It was
nice and relaxing. Claire did not like the water because it was way too cold for her. She didn't really like the sand, but she loved the pool. All I can say is thank goodness for her saucer or else it would have been a long vacation. I learned how to boogie board. It was fun. I ate it a couple times and I still find sand in my ear every now and then. Devin enjoyed being pounded by waves with the boys. It was a good vacation.

We had an Isabell/Anderson family BBQ. It is so nice that our families get along so well. We swam and ate yummy hamburgers, water melon, and Texas sheet cake. What a good time!Annie has had a lot of fun taking pictures of Claire! These are some of my favorites. Claire can now sit up and I don't have to worry about her falling back and hurting herself. She rolls from her back to her belly, realizes she doesn't like being on her tummy, and rolls back. She's eating solids better, but is still really picky. Any suggestions for making her like veggies? She won't eat sweet potatoes, green beans, or peas. I'm trying carrots tonight.
Claire and Cohen got to play with each other. Too bad they are cousins.
Claire was really tired after that so she decided to fall over on the chair and take a nap. It was really funny at the time.
Other than that, we've been catching up with old friends and relaxing with our families. It has been a fun 6 weeks. We are ready for Virginia though.
Next post...our condo!(You will have to wait until our internet is hooked up...sorry in advance).

Wyoming

2009-07-13T00:42:00.009-04:00

Well, we have officially left Springville, Utah and are now homeless. Luckily we have parents who love us and want to see us, so we are visiting HOT Arizona (yeah, I love the 110 degree heat...I know, I'm crazy!)

Before we came to AZ, we took a trip with my family to Wyoming to visit my grandparents and show Devin my roots. We met my family in Utah, loaded in the van, and had a great road trip!Claire did great, but got sick of the camera...c'mon guys!It was surprisingly green and a really pretty drive.
This was the scene at a gas station in the town where mom grew up. The picture doesn't do it justice. There was a dog, fishing poles, wood, and three people in the back of the pickup. We were laughing hysterically. Wyoming put in picture form.
We stopped in a little town called Farson. They have the best ice cream! Plus it's in the middle of no where. It's a great stop and we have lots of good memories there. This is the remnants of Annie's bubble gum dish, and yes, her mouth was blue.A few hours after we left, we arrived at Grandma Marian's and Grandpa Don's house. Claire got to meet Grandma. They have the same birthday, so Grandma's name for Claire is "Birthday Present." Claire has officially met her living great-grandparents!For the 4th of July, we dressed up in our red (Dad was wearing blue to represent his Cougars) and took a trip to Sinks Canyon for a picnic. It was a beautiful day outside. Sinks Canyon is really cool. There is a river and it sinks into the ground. It comes out 1/4 mile down the road, but dye test show that it takes over 2 hours for the water to get to that point. I wonder where it goes???It was a great place to take some pictures. Great-Grandparents and Claire.
Four generations!

The Anderson's - mom and dad love Claire a lot!

Mother Nature gave us our fireworks show! There was a couple inches of hail and the most water I've ever seen. The front was flooded and the boys took turns pushing water away from the door with a push broom. It was crazy fun.
Grandpa Shane introduced Claire to the grass. She didn't know what was going on.

We took the trip 25 miles from Grandma's house to Shoshoni population 500 - where Dad grew up! It was so fun to drive through that town. We stopped at FastLane (the only gas station) and got the world's best nachos and then we were attacked by mosquitos. When I say attacked, I mean attacked - those are from one trip, I promise!On the way back to Utah, we stopped by "The Ranch." Mom's grandparents owned it, so she spent most of her summer's there. It is so pretty, even though the ranch house is really run down. It made me want a summer home in the country one day.The Ranch HouseThe Out House (yep, that's right, no indoor bathroom).
Gorgeous scenery. Isn't nature wonderful!

It was a great trip. It was fun to relive the memories and see the grandparents and introduce Devin and Claire!

Constipation, Commemoration and [insert a word that beings with "C" here]

2009-06-28T23:18:00.007-04:00

So long! Farewell! And then Maria says something that I no longer recall. We here at the Anderson household are preparing for adventures in Wyoming, Arizona, California and then pretty much across the United States in August. We bid a fond farewell to BYU and the things we enjoyed about Utah and a good riddance to those things that we didn't.

For your viewing pleasure, here is the priceless card that Marian gifted me for my birthday. The inside read: "Oh poop, another birthday!" I give it to you in extra large format to enjoy the rolls, expressions and pure concentration...

I am the luckiest guy in the world to be blessed with two beautiful girls. Marian and Claire--I love you and aren't they just beautiful? We took these pictures after Stake Conference today. Mar's hair is sexy and Claire is drooly and her happy self:

We had a wonderful stake conference. One of the themes that was repeated throughout and echoed a subject discussed by Elder Bednar at the most recent CES fireside was that of wisely using our time. Too many adults and youth and even children spent their time mindlessly surfing the virtual worlds of Facebook, MySpace, blogs, Twitter, etc. I've seen the destructive influences of these obsessions at the MTC, and I'm not talking about the dangers of immorality that are often associated with the digital realm. I'm talking about the social ieptitude that is all too pervasive among these young men that come to the MTC. I know one elder in particular who had spent the previous year playing Halo on his Xbox for about eight hours a day. He was a mess. He had no idea how to interact in the real world; he was much more comfortable in his viritual world. This is a dangerous ploy that Satan is using to distract us from more important and eternal uses for our time. How many hours has each of us wasted on YouTube or (for me in particular) scanning sports sites for "different perspectives" on my teams. I committed myself to a healthier lifestyle and I hope you do too.

That being said, there are wonderful opportunities to have fun using some of the modern technological wonders. Marian and I love playing video games together every once in a while. Here are some of our favorites:

For my birthday I got a very fun, if flawed, game called Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings. This game has interesting motion controls and you can use the environment to beat up Nazis. Where is Tyson when you need him? But the crown jewel of this game is 1992's Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis. This game was a staple of my childhood and it has been a blast to go through it again. They don't make games like that anymore.

P.S. I just watched the Lord of the Rings again. It just gets better every time.

Noses, Smells, and Memories

2009-06-25T12:04:00.002-04:00

Nose...that's a strange word, don't you think? Try saying it over and over again and maybe you will.

Noses and smells are usually good things. There are other times when those smells evoke great memories...like chocolate chip cookies and grandma's house or dust and a great rainstorm. Other times, those smells evoke bad memories. That's the case for me right now.

Our apartment has a swamp cooler in the front. This week is the first time we have had to use it since last summer.

Flashback to last summer - barely pregnant, vomiting multiple times daily, hot and miserable, constantly eating otter pops, and fighting nausea.

p.s. I'm not looking forward to those pregnancy symptoms again. It will definitely be a couple years.

Ok, this summer comes, we turn on the swamp cooler and guess what...the smell reminds me of what my house smelled like last summer, which reminds me of how I felt last summer, which makes me nauseas now.

Needless to say, our house is very, very warm.

p.p.s. The human brain is amazing.

Fast Forward

2009-06-23T16:58:00.006-04:00

Yep, June is almost gone. At the beginning of the month Devin asked if we could push a fast forward button so it would be July. A couple days ago he asked me why I pushed the fast forward button, because June is almost gone. We can't believe it. In one week we are out of our apartment, and then we are off to AZ for some fun in the sun before we hit VA.

Claire turned 5 months old!!!! I have no idea where the past five months have gone. She went to the doctor and is 15 lbs. and 25.5 inches long (which is the 72nd percentile). She didn't get the length from her mom, that's for sure. Here favorite activities include drooling, holding her toes and screeching, and sitting up. She does a pretty good job on her own, but when she gets too excited she launches herself back, so we still make sure we can catch her before she whacks her head.
Father's Day! It was a good day (I hope anyways). We had a nap, a nice dinner, talked to the fam, and opened presents. Devin is such a good dad. I am glad he loves our baby so much! Packing, packing, and more packing. There's not much more to say about that.

Hanging out with our friends. I got together with some girls from work and we made a fabulous FHE board. I didn't quite finish mine, but I will someday.2 out of 3 babies looking isn't too bad and Stephanie is proudly displaying that baby bump.Jenn and Joe came over for FHE and we had fun eating pizza and talking about babies because Jenn is going to have hers soon! I am so excited for them and secretly hoping that little girl will make her debut early so I can see her! For our lesson we talked about this article by Elder Callister in June's Ensign about Heavenly Homes.

These are some of my favorite lines...

"I don’t know whether our heavenly home has a television set or a DVD player, but in my mind’s imagery it surely has a grand piano and a magnificent library."

"If a young person grows up on a steady diet of hamburgers and french fries, he is not likely to become a gourmet. But the fault is not with fine food. He just grew up on something less. Some have grown up on a steady diet of musical french fries."

"Some flippantly say, “How I look has nothing to do with how God feels about me.” But it is possible for both earthly parents and heavenly parents to have unspoken disappointment in their offspring without diminished love."

"President Young [said,] “Let us … show to the world that we have talent and taste, and prove to the heavens that our minds are set on beauty and true excellence, so that we can become worthy to enjoy the society of angels.”

I think that's about it for now. Don't worry, we have a lot planned the next few days and you'll get to read all about it!

Art City Days

2009-06-13T13:52:00.005-04:00

I am excited to be moving out of Utah to a new and exciting place on the East Coast.

For the record, I would like to say there are things I will miss about living here. Mountains, Temples, BYU football games, and the parts of the small town atmosphere are a few.

Springville is proudly known as "Art City" and the city celebrates its art heritage every summer. This week was Art City Days. Last year, I was too sick and pregnant to walk outside in the heat, so Devin and I missed the festivities. Since we are leaving, I wanted to see the signts so Claire and I visited some events while Devin was working.Friday was the hot air balloons. I love them, but I would never go up in one.

This morning, Claire and I strolled out three blocks to Main Street and watched the Parade. There were some pretty impressive floats, lots of candy, and even fresh produce from the local grocery store. I enjoyed it and Claire fell asleep.
Tonight there will be a firework show (if it doesn't rain).

There was everything from a 5k to a teddy bear picnic in the park. It was definately fun to participate a little bit. I will miss these small town community events. Maybe next time I'll remember to bring the camera...

Movies and Monies

2009-06-12T10:06:00.004-04:00

The summer movie season is off to a muted start at best for the Andersons--for budgetary and baby reasons--but we have had a chance to check out two of the summer's "biggest."

1. Star Trek: 4.5/5 stars
Having grown up in the shadow of a Trekkie (bless you, Dad), I have some appreciation for the Star Trek saga, but let's be honest, I'm no hardcore fan. I only dress up for Lord of the Rings. This film, however, was an absolute blast. It was intense, surprisingly funny throughout (without having to refer to sex or drugs--a novel idea in the 21st century) and filled with engaging characters. My first love in film and literature has always been science fiction. Ever since that day when Dad gave us a choice to go play in the irrigation or go watch STAR WARS and drink a strawberry smoothie, I have always been a sucker for a movie that transports me across time and space for adventure. Star Trek's story is occasionally convoluted with the time-travel element, but it doesn't take time for you to stop and think about it. I thouroghly enjoyed my time watching Star Trek, with the exception of Kirk's one-time encounter with an alien that wasn't needed.

2. Up: 5/5 stars
Pixar Perfection. This story is the story in all of us--a search for meaning in life and a desire to rid ourselves of past guilts. Carl and Russell embody the complex interactions that are so often glossed over by Hollywood, or shoved between grotesque violence and graphic sex. Disney/Pixar has created a tale about a man flying in his house, held up by balloons and a boy scout, desparetly in need of the attention his deadbeat dad fails to give him. I felt edified after this movie and it will one we definitely purchase. It made Marian cry at one point, because the story is near and dear to everyone's heart. Go see Up. I promise it will be worth your time if you look for yourself in the characters and not just go to be "entertained."

We've talked a lot about provident living at Church and I think it is one of the key Gospel principles that we must life. As Henry teaches Indy: I taught you self-reliance!
Tom Brokaw wrote a book a decade back called "The Greatest Generation" about the generation that took us through World War II. He wrote an op-ed piece a couple days back by the same name, describing the reasons he entitled the book that way. While not openly berated the excesses of our "modern" and "sensible" buy-now-pay-later society, he implicitly states that those men and women are the "greatest generation," because, when compared to ours, their values, dedication and commitment seem truly awe-inspiring. It is a short, thoughtful read and I encourage you to check it out.

On a more depressing note, the New York Times did a good job in analyzing the source of the enormous budget deficit that has been our albatross. It transcendes blaming just one president or Congress--it is an epidemic that has spread throughout Washington. It seems our government is stupider than the citizens and companies that started this crisis. I think that when the United States fails as we know it, it will begin with bankruptcy. Hopefully responsibility will return, but neither party seems willing to put in that work. You know why? Because we voters don't reward competence--only pandering.

My Favorite Things

2009-06-11T19:51:00.007-04:00

The Sound of Music is my favorite movie. I was watching it today and decided to blog about my favorite things...in no particular order.

1. Claire

Look at this little girl. I love spending all my time with her, even though sometimes I forget that I love spending all my time with her. She has been very needy the past few days, which has worn me out. Today she has slept a lot and that has helped her mood. Even on those rough days, she is my favorite thing!
2. Devin
He is the best husband I could ever ask for. He is patient with me and all my faults, moods, and problems. He loves me through it all. He makes me laugh every day. He works hard so I don't have to. He's a great dad...What more could I want? Nothing!

3. My NEW apartment
Yep, it's official, we are moving to Arlington, VA in August to the place we wanted to live! WOOHOO. I am super excited. It's big - over 1200 sq. feet - compared to our place now. There are lots of closets, a basement and attic for storage, so no more clutter! The kitchen and bathroom have been remodeled and it's in the perfect little community. Pictures will come when we move in and can show it off!
4. The Gospel of Jesus Christ
It is amazing the peace it brings. I love learning more about my Savior and striving to be the best I can. I certainly fall short most of the time, but I am working on it. Devin, Claire and I went to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house last week. It was such a great experience to walk through that building and feel the Spirit. It is absolutely gorgeous, as it should be since it is the house of God. I am grateful Devin and I were sealed in the temple and our family can be together forever. (Were there volunteers out front of the temple whose sole purpose was to take pictures for people...yes. That's all.)
5. Thunderstorms
It has been storming for the past few days and I love it. There haven't been many thunderstorms since I've been in Utah. This week has made up for it. It has been so fun to here the thunder and have the rain pour down.

Those are just a few of my favorite things!

DC and Other Adventures

2009-06-04T21:50:00.007-04:00

Devin said he would do the DC post, but he's working all day and night this week (new missionaries), so it won't get done for a while. That means I get to pick up the slack...

Last week we went to DC to look for a place to live. I had never been there before, so I was excited. Devin was excited because of all the new adventures we will be having. Claire did great on the plane, so overall, we were one big, happy, excited family.
Dad and Claire on her very first plane trip, and it just happened to be across the country. She was great and only cried once because her bottle was too cold and I didn't warm it up fast enough. She was the only baby on the trip out there. As we got off the plane people said, "Oh, I didn't know there was a baby on this flight. What a cute little girl." And lots of other stuff like that. She stole the show.
We stayed the first night and last night in Baltimore with Devin's aunt Cene. Devin's parents were nice enough to get us a hotel in Arlington for the other two days so we didn't have to make the really long commute in traffic. It was a lifesaver. Claire enjoyed her huge bed all to herself.

Wednesday was our first day of apartment hunting and the I was sold on the first place we went to. It's called Fairlington Villages and is as pretty as the picture. There are trees, walking paths, tennis courts, swimming pools, an ice cream parlor, squirrels in the front, and you can walk to the library. Perfect. The only problem is they are all individually owned condos and townhouses, so it's harder to find them and the selection is lower. The other problem is that our income is student loans. People aren't too keen on renting to families who are living off of loans, so the two we wanted rejected our applications.

We liked the next place we looked at too. It's called The Park at Arlington Ridge. A more expensive, large complex, with smaller apartments. The income thing wasn't a problem. They said if we had a parental letter stating that they would guarantee rent, we could live there. We liked well enough and could get into, so at least we have a place to go in August.

We drove around to many other apartments that I had scoped out on Craigslist, Rent.com, and a few other sites, but I didn't like them. They were dirty, small, or huge high-rise buildings. I just wanted a community. Devin and I decided Fairlington or the Park are our options. Since were spending WAY TOO MUCH money on rent, we have to at least LIKE the place we are going to live.

Overall, picking the area wasn't too hard. Finding the actual apartment proved to be the challenge we were expecting, but hoping to avoid. Thank goodness for CRAIGSLIST! I found another condo in Fairlington that is even bigger than the original two, has a nicer kitchen and bathroom, AND I was able to talk to the owners, explain our situation, and assure them we have enough money to pay rent. Before we had to go through realtors...the middle person hinders communication...and that did not make our situation easier. Anyways, I think we might get this one. The lease agreement is on its way tomorrow...hopefully. We are praying nothing changes so we can have a place to live that we will enjoy. I will keep you updated.

Well, since I'd never been to DC before, we had to do the whole tourist thing. Here is Claire and Devin in front of GW Law. He will be spending a lot of his time there. It is a really nice building. GW is a HUGE school. I couldn't imagine being a freshman in college and having that be my campus. The law school is big enough for me.We took a leisurely stroll of 6 blocks from the law school and ended up on 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. so Dev took a picture of me in all my glory in front of the White House.Then we kept walking down the the Mall. Here is Claire and Devin in front of the Washington Monument. Man, that thing is tall.The Capitol in the distance.

After walking to the Lincoln Memorial we decided we were tired. Back to Foggy Bottom and a quick metro ride to the hotel and we were beat. We walked over 4 miles. Through it all, Claire just looked around and was happy. We have the best baby ever.

While we were in DC, Devin had a birthday. He's 24! Happy Birthday Husband!!! This is the card and present I gave him. He was imitating the face on the card. It's pretty awesome. Too bad the flash ruined the card. I got him some Frisbees (we lost our other ones in trees), a football, and a wiffle ball set. We have put them to good use already (and lost a wiffle ball in a murky, algae filled pond).
Cene made Devin a cake, so we sang happy birthday and celebrated with the fam.
On Saturday, Cene took us to Fort McHenry. It is the place that inspired the Star Spangled Banner. It was really cool. After that we stopped at Five Guys Burgers and Fries. It is the ABSOLUTE BEST hamburger place I have ever been too. Really, everyone needs to go get a real hamburger and some real fries. Yummy! Then it was off to the airport and back to Utah.

We had a good, fun, tiring trip. Claire was an angel and she stole the show. I mean look at that little face. Babies seem to be a novelty on the East Coast. Every person we talked to said she was so cute and wanted to hold her and just couldn't get over her. I know she is the cutest thing ever, but I'm used to the abundance of babies in Utah County, so she doesn't get that much attention. It was fun showing her off.

Hopefully we will have a place to live soon. I packed the first 2 boxes today...

The Glory of God is Intelligence

2009-05-25T11:08:00.005-04:00

I graduated 2 years ago with a degree in History.

At the time, I was so glad to be done with school. I was sick and tired of writing papers, reading books that I wasn't that interested in, and being a poor newlywed. I just wanted a job, a paycheck and time with my husband.

Well, I was blessed with a good job, a nice paycheck, and ample time with Devin. It was great.

Then Claire came and the job left, the paycheck left, and time with Devin has become time that we play with Claire.

Life is still great, but I have been left wanting a new challenge, a new sense of self-fulfillment.

I started investigating master's programs in History. Most of the require a foreign language to get in...I was lazy in college and didn't take one, so I had resigned myself to the fact that I was going to have to learn one. Four years of language classes and then I would start a program and get my master's.

Well, one day I was looking at George Mason's history website (since I am going to be in VA for a few years...). Low and behold I discovered they offer an "enrichment" track for people wanting to get their master's degree but will not pursue doctoral studies. This "enrichment" program DOES NOT require a foreign language! I decided there and then that I was going to do it.

I bought a GRE prep book, looked at the math section, started to cry. I haven't taken a math class in 7 YEARS! I got a math workbook that starts at the very beginning...yes adding and subtracting fractions, the area of a circle, yes I am re-learning stuff I learned in Jr. High. Oh well, so much for challenge and self-fulfillment.

Then I looked at the vocabulary words....Keep in mind I do talk to a four month old all day long... Anyone know what legerdemain means? I didn't. I bought 500 flash cards to increase my vocab. Abscond, abjured, abstemious....yep, I know those now, along with a few others.

This whole adventure is just beginning. Devin has been wonderful and extra supportive. I am so grateful for a husband who loves learning and wants me to continue to grow.

For now, I am getting a master's degree in European History and will graduate in May of 2012.

Now I just have to establish VA residency so I can afford tuition, take the GRE, get accepted to the program, finish 30 credits of classes, be a wife, a mother, and a servant to my Heavenly Father who has blessed me so much.

We will see what the future holds, but this will be the hardest challenge I've undertaken so far. Let's see if I can do it!

Get More Smarter

2009-05-20T12:40:00.007-04:00

Hello friends, family and enemies. I'm BACK!!!! After an extended absence due to finals, graduation, law school stuff and temporary vision loss, I have returned with a vengeance. First off, let's admire what the world calls spontaneity and happenstance:Head on over to the Hubble Telescope site and admire the Being Who has an incredible taste for the beautiful and refined in the universe.

We sometimes talk about how God has inspired the invention of the television, lightbulbs and other technologies that have exploded since the Restoration. Well feast your eyes on His latest piece of work:Replace Mary J. with DAVE Grohl and you got it! My iPhone can do everything. Yo soy fan.

Seriously, one of the things that is a testimony-enhancer for me is how the Church is using media to spread the Gospel. Have you seen the new Mormon Radio? Name me another Church which has an HD Radio station, and iPhone app coming, podcasts of General Conference, two websites, Family History sites galore and the list goes on and on. Oh yeah and a YouTube channel (which you can access on our sidebar). 'Nuff said.

For your intellectual consumption, please please please read this post and its follow-ups by Judge Richard Posner on his blog: Is the Conservative Movement Losing Steam? (you have to scroll down, but read the follow-ups as well. We have a permanent link to his blog on our sidebar). He makes a valid point that the Republican Party (the traditional face of "conservatism") has no focused leadership and lacks an overall focus. Seriously, when you have Dick Cheney saying that he'd rather follow Rush Limbaugh than Collin Powel you know times have gotten miserable. There has been no coherent message except "NO" from the Republican party and Marian and I have abjurred it (we're working on GRE vocab for Marian!).

Here's a sampling of conservatism: President Obama recently spoke at Notre Dame's graduation. Since he is pro-choice and the Catholic Church is pro-life, there was likely to be some tension. However, as President, Obama said things like "Maybe we won’t agree on abortion, but we can still agree that this heart-wrenching decision for any woman is not made casually. It has both moral and spiritual dimension. So let us work together to reduce the number of women seeking abortions. Let’s reduce unintended pregnancies. Let’s make adoption more available. Let’s provide care and support for women who do carry their children to term.” Relatively reasonable talk, despite my personal objection to the use of abortion as merely contraception. Now let's see how the Republican part was represented:
--Flying a picture of an aborted fetus behind a plane over campus
--The RNC chairman, Michael Steele making the nonsensical claim that "I think it’s inappropriate...And the president should speak, but the degree should not be conferred.” Since he knows. Since he chairs the party for limited government.
--People shouting things like, “You have invited the worst baby killer in the nation.”

I understand that there are serious undercurrents in the abortion debate. But we can be resonable about it and the Republican Party cannot find a coherent voice. Until intelligence and reason can find its way to the forefront of the party message, we'll see more and more Democratic legislation pushed through at the expence of both social and economic conservatism. I believe in a limited role for government, but that is not what the Republican party espouses anymore. There needs to be a return to the roots of conservatism as well as a move to make some compromises and broaden the tent of the party. You need to get elected to govern and do what you think is best for the country and the Republicans are spectacularly failing.

On a final note, check out the preview episode for the show Glee. It looks very promising. Since 24 finished (awesome season--real insight into characters rather than just shooting), Marian and I were looking for something more to watch. Unfortunatley Glee doesn't start unti fall but check it out on Hulu. You'll like it.

Claire's First Laugh!

2009-05-15T23:02:00.004-04:00

Tonight Claire was especially happy when we were playing with her. Then she started laughing and we actually caught it on camera. We love this little girl! Isn't she just the cutest thing

The Eye

2009-05-15T22:23:00.005-04:00

Notice the radiant smile on Devin's face? It's because he said goodbye to his glasses today. Yes, our blind little friend is no longer blind!

Devin had PRK surgery done today. It's a LASIK procedure, but a little more complicated and painful. The results will be the same though...no more glasses and 20/20 vision! Woohoo! With regular LASIK a laser cuts a flap of the epithelium, the doctor bends that flap over, and another laser zaps the eye, fixing the vision. Devin's cornea was too thin, so they couldn't cut the flap and opted to do the PRK procedure instead. Basically, they put a solution of alcohol on his eye, then scraped off the epithelium, and then had the laser do it's job. A few minutes later, Devin could see! AMAZING! Here's the video if you want to watch it. There's no blood. I watched them and didn't get queasy and I am super sensitive to that stuff, so I think it's ok to watch...but you were warned.

He's doing well. So far he doesn't have any pain. I feel like a walking pharmacy with all the drops, pills, liquid tears, and ice packs I'm helping him remember to use. All I know is that I am extremely excited he can see!

What We've Been Up To

2009-05-13T16:48:00.002-04:00

What the Andersons have been up to the past few weeks...

We made sugar cookies to satisfy our sweet tooth. Claire wasn't too sure what was going on.

We took a trip to the Springville Museum of Art. They have a large collection of Soviet and Russian Art and it's 6 blocks away, so we couldn't keep ourselves away. Claire liked all the colors and Devin liked the Soviet stuff.

Nicki and Hadley came to visit. When Nicki got here I said "Let's switch!" so I could hold her little baby. Well, Claire knew that her mommy handed her off and got really upset and started screaming. Nicki and I were entertained and Hadley had no idea what was going on. Claire had a rough visit. We're glad they came to Utah before we take off to the East Coast!
Oh yeah, I had a birthday. I'm old, but it's all good. I woke up to a Happy Birthday display on the table. Devin made me muffins for breakfast, took care of Claire (who woke up at 6...ugh) so I could sleep in, and then we made Oreo Ice Cream later that night. Yummy. I went shopping and got cute clothes. Devin got me a CD and a book called "The Alchemist" which I read the next day. It was a great day!

Smile!

2009-05-13T12:38:00.001-04:00

Just in case you haven't had a good laugh or checked the "Sexy People" blog...

I Love This Girl!

2009-05-06T20:25:00.004-04:00

Being a mom is absolutely fantastic. Claire is so happy. Her smile makes everything worth it. She went on a hiatus from talking a few weeks ago when she discovered her hands. Now the novelty of her hands has worn off and she back to yapping away. We love it.
.

I finally convinced Devin that Claire looks like him. He just couldn't see it. Then I found a baby picture. No denying it now.
And the most exciting news of all...I finally found a binkie clip for her! Claire is a very active baby and doesn't like being in one place for very long. During church, we make it through half of Sacrament Meeting and then I go stand in the back to appease her curiosity. I stick the binkie in so she doesn't scream. Since she won't take a normal passifier, we use the soothies from the hospital. They're green (but I found pink and purple ones at Babies 'r Us), obnoxiously big, and I have to make sure it stays in her mouth by holding it the entire time. A girl in our ward told me she found a clip online, so I started looking. I found it and I bought it. Now she has an even bigger, more ridiculous flower on her face! Oh well, she likes it. At least you can see her eyes! Plus it will make church a lot easier.

Confession

2009-05-05T11:49:00.004-04:00

It's time for me to make a confession, although I don't think it's a big secret.

I DESPISE running!
Yeah, I hate it.
Reasons why I hate running...
1. TreesNot because I'm tall (I'm not) and I might hit them as I'm cruising by, but because I am allergic to them.
My nose gets all stuffy and my eyes get all watery and all I do is try not to sneeze and to breathe a bit better.
2. I turn RED
Now when I say red, I'm not kidding.
My face looks like this tomato.Plus, I stay red for a very long time. About an hour. Not good.
3. I sweat like no other.Sick, I know.

Needless to say, there are so many other types of exercises that I would rather do.
Problem...
They all involve gym memberships.
Gym memberships are not in the budget right now.
Solution...
Get Over It, Marian!

So after a year of inactivity (thanks to being sick and pregnant, then being lazy, then it being winter until May) I am officially working on the "get over it" part and running in the mornings when Devin is here. I'll probably still hate it forever, but at least I'm trying.

Devin Graduated!

2009-04-29T20:40:00.006-04:00

Last weekend was very exciting.

Devin finished his career at BYU (aka GRADUATED)!It was awesome.

Brad, Ida, and Rachel came up to celebrate.I watched Pride and Prejudice with Ida and Rachel. It was great to watch a chick flick.

We ate at Cheesecake Factory (you have to try their new Blueberry Cheesecake! Amazing!!!!!)
It snowed...need I say more.

Claire cried.

Devin walked (if you look really hard you can find him - he's the tall one).
We took pictures.

We had a birthday dinner for Ida. Happy Birthday!

Devin got an iPhone...can you say spoiled?I am very proud of him.

Love you Dev!

More Claire....Just Because You Love Her!

2009-04-19T21:19:00.005-04:00

Here is Claire for your viewing pleasure.

We have a beautiful blossoming tree out front so we were trying to be artistic and have a beautiful baby surrounded by the blossoms.
Claire in her Easter dress. We had to take pictures this week because she pooped through it last week. Oh the joys of having a baby!
Claire discovered she can hold things mom and dad give her. She loves rattles.

She loves to suck her hands. It's really cute when she gets the whole fist in it.
She has this same face in every picture because of the flash on the camera. She doesn't understand what it is and the bright light surprises her.

Claire will be three months old on Tuesday! We can't believe how fast time has gone by. She is growing and learning and it is just fun!

The Andersons

We Love Jenny Auction

Don't Forget!

A New Blog!

It's Always Fun For Everyone When Grandpa Comes

Indiana Jones Bugs

In Case You Missed It...

OP-ED COLUMNIST

We’re No. 1(1)!

By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN

Published: September 11, 2010

My Reward

OAMC

The Pictures

Dear Claire,

Road Trip!

Claire

The Green Ones

Congratulations Marian

Our First Nats Game (And Claire's First Baseball Game)

Dear Thunderstorm,

Craigslist Steal

Toddler

NO!

July 11, 2010

Vacation Part One: Arkansas

Claire Likes Food

A Lunch Project

It's Time

Old MacDonald Had a Farm

Goodnight!

Entertainment

Request

Today I Am Thankful

Happy Easter, Happy Spring, Happy Happy Everything!

"There Are More People Here Than at Disney World "

Sew...

Gogurt, Sleeping, and Being a Goof

The Park

Milestones

Finished!

The Best Apple Pie Ever

P90X

We Love Grandma!

Cute Things Claire Does

Apples

What Are You Doing?

Crayons

Icicles

Snowpocalypse

Batting 1.000

Yep, It Snowed

Happy Birthday!

I Must Confess

The End of the Day

It's a Party!

Happy Birthday!

So...

Christmas!

Family Pictures

The Anderson Apothecary

Missing:

It's Christmas Time!

Random

Thanksgiving

Books I Liked, So You Might Too

Pictures of Claire that are Cute

The Capitol

The Zoo

Costco

Jamestown

I'm A Big Girl Now!

Book Review:The Lost Symbol, by Dan Brown

I Thought This Was Cute...

Amen

Claire Update

I Want This...

Dear Target

"No, It’s Not About Race"

We've Arrived!