2 Years

I can hardly believe that today is a two year mark for my family. I'll never forget that day, 2 years ago when Tina shared with us tears of sorrow as well as tears of laughter. Tina was such a good example to us all, through her last few events she gave us comfort, she confirmed to us that this life is not the end and that we will see her again someday. She promised to always watch out for us. She faced her battles with faith, strength, courage and acceptance. She showed that even in the last moments of life, that chapstick is still a necessity (see Chris it is!) She taught us so much! She touched many lives in her short 20 years on earth. We promised her that her two little boys will know of her and her love for them. She has great love for her nieces and nephews as well. She was always so good to the little kids and they love her for it. She does not want to be forgotten. I don't think it's possible to forget. She definately won't ever be forgotten at our house. It makes me so happy when my children randomly talk of her. They randomly blow her kisses to heaven. Or they shout out from their beds "good night mom" , "good night dad", and sometimes really loud hoping that she can hear, "good night Tina". It touches me to know that they think of her. As much pain as we have felt, and as much grieving that has been done, and as hard as life gets, it was worth every moment that we shared with her. We know that she is not completely gone, we know that she is watching us and helping our families, and we know we will see her again. I am so greatful for the knowledge that we have. I am greatful for my family, I am greatful for my little sister, who was also one of my best friends. I am greatful for all that she taught us. We have many memories of her that we cherish. We do love and miss you Tina!

Monster Truck Showdown

We were able to go to the Monster Truck Showdown!! Really, Chris and I didn't think it was all that great, but the boys loved it. Dusty loves cars and trucks, especially monster trucks and Hayden's favorite movie is "Transformers", so this was a perfect show for them. At the end, they brought out the specialty vehicles, which were transformers, and they shot fireworks at each other. The boys thought it was AWESOME!

1st day of school

So here are the boys on their first day of school. They both go to afternoon classes, so we had a long wait that day. They were so excited! Dusty wore his backpack all morning long, and he kept running to the corner to see if his bus was coming. They both seem to love their schools, but we can't get much out of Dusty about what goes on at school. He seems to think that it's his new world and none of our business! I ask questions and the only answer I ever get is "I don't know", with him also showing a huge grin. I'm greatful for both of their schools, but especially Haydens! I love that he listens to every word his teacher says and obeys her! I try to use her at home ("Hayden, your teacher says..."). Sometimes it works, I just really wish he'd obey me like he does her. It really is a scary thought to have my kids leave without me and for them to be out in the world in someone else's care! But it hasn't been quite as hard as I thought. When they both left on their separate buses, I was able to go inside the house - instead of following the bus to school! It's hard to let them do these things, but at the same time it's so fun and rewarding to see them grow.

Not much going on

Lately we haven't been up to much to post about, although we have somehow managed to stay very busy. I was excited to step outside yesterday morning to find that it felt like fall. I love fall! A couple of weeks ago we went to Denver for Chris's work and we stopped in Vail, Colorado and it was perfect weather! It almost felt cold. When I stepped outside, the weather put an instant smile put on my face. There is just something about that crisp in the fresh air that I love. So anyway, I was pretty excited to feel that at our house! This morning I even turned on the heater for a couple of minutes.

Last Thursday we finally got Hayden's tongue clipped. We tried to have it done when he was 10 months old, but the Doctor we went to said "We don't really do that anymore, it's an old fashioned procecdure". And for some reason I took her word for it. But then we noticed it really was causing problems and we have wanted the procedure done for a long time, and now it's all over with. He was tongue tied, and it looked uncomfortable besides causing a few problems. We had him in speech therapy, but he couldn't even do most of the exercises because he didn't have any flexibility. It was also hard to brush the back side of his bottom teeth because his tongue was in the way. It also made it difficult to shuffle certain foods around in his mouth. So now that it's over with, speech therapy will be more successful! I've already noticed a difference with his T's and D's. I thought he would be a little bit miserable after the procedure, so the day before it was done, I took him to the store, let him pick out some popsicles, and told him when he got home from the hospital, he could have as many popsicles as he wanted. He took total advantage of that - we got home from the hospital around 10:00 a.m., and that day he ate 11 popsicles!! However, he wasn't miserable at all - he never complained about it hurting and he ran around all day.

Hayden will be starting school again tomorrow (just 2 days a week), and Dusty will have his first day of kindergatren on Wednesday. I will finally get some time all to myself (until baby comes!). I am so excited, just for those few hours each week. I haven't had time like this for 6 years! For 6 years, it seems like my life has been all about kids - lots of kids! I have done a lot of babysitting, which I am done with! I don't know if I want to do that again on a daily basis. Kids have run my life for 6 years, but actually I can't imagine it any other way. And that's how I want it to be - But I am excited for a few hours of just me!

Our little Angel

So here is a picture of our baby girl. This picture was taken a couple of weeks ago. Although she might not come out looking like Dusty, I think she looks a lot more like Dusty than Hayden. She has the long, skinny face with a big, round forehead and a big nose - just like her oldest brother. Hayden has a short, round face and a flat forehead. So I'm thinking that she'll look more like an Anderson. But whatever she looks like, we're really excited about her joining our family.

Our Weekend

So here is the rest that I wanted to post about our weekend - last weekend that is. We headed up north for a little family reunion. We got to see everyone except for Dallas and Erick's family. It was also Wheat and Beat Days so we got to enjoy a parade and fireworks. The kids painted shirts like they do every year, and they also had a big swim party. It was a lot of fun. While we were up there, we also got to spend a little time with all of the grandparents up there. Then we took the boys to Lagoon on Monday, where we had some more fun. One of the first stops was the Wild Mouse - Chris took Dusty. I was almost mad that he took him on that ride, but Dusty loved it. Then just before we left, Chris took Dusty on the Colossas, where they rode in the front cart!!! My little 5 year old! He was actually 4 inched too short, but they let him on anyway. I was so nervous! Dusty is so skinny that I could picture him slipping right out his seat. I can't believe he agreed to go on that ride, he is so brave! Hayden loved the Monkey cages, the Tidal wave, and the Music ride. Then that night we headed home and met Chris's dad in Ogden so that he could ride home with us to spend a few days at our house. The kids showed him just how wild they can get. I hope we didn't wear him out too much. All of the kids gained up on Braden's brother, Jairon. They chased him around and beat him with their pirate swords.

Chris, Hayden, and Rylee at the parade

Dusty

Hayden

Hayden, Rylee, Dusty, Alek, Gavin, Kenzie, Joye, Jaxon, Sara, Taylor

Dusty's dream come true, a car just his size!

Fun at Lagoon -a -Beach

'Ashaweena' Reunion

We decided to go with our first plan for the weekend and head up to Garland. We had a lot to do and a lot of fun for the few days that we were there. Because life happens, we didn't get to do all that we wanted to. We were really hoping to take the kids to the Minatonka caves and to Bear Lake before finishing our way home. I'll post more about our weekend soon. But one of the first things we did do was get together with some friends for a picnic. In 9th grade we called ourselves "Ashaweena". We used to have a lot of fun together. Although we stayed at the picnic for just a short while, it was fun to see everyone. I tried telling Chris he needed to be there because back then he was usually with us girls anyway. He didn't like that idea much, but he did stay for a few minutes when he picked me and the boys up. And good thing he was there to take a picture of us five and all of our kids. So here's the old Ashaweena group: Kate, Barbara, Cassi, Robyn and Me.