"A" is for...Andersons

2011-02-21T15:19:00.000-06:00

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"G" is for...Grandmas and Grandpas

2009-09-03T19:44:00.004-05:00

We were fortunate with the birth of Adalyn to have not just one set of Grandparents but both come pay homage to the new princess. It was wonderful having them here to help hold the baby, keep the other kids entertained, and to take care of us grown-ups. Grandma Connie was the last to leave (on September 1st) so we are now fending for ourselves.

Just a couple pictures of the grandkids with their favorite grandparents.

Thanks mom and dad Parrish and Anderson!!!

"M" is for...Meet the Family

2009-08-14T11:09:00.008-05:00

The Anderson kids were happy to be introduced to the newest member of the team. Mom and dad are now outnumbered two to one - what have we got ourselves into?

Anali was the first to get to hold her and she was thrilled to meet her new baby sister and wanted to hog her all for herself.

We were finally able to pry her away from Anali and give Aden a turn. Maybe Aden just doesn't like hospitals, or maybe he is just overwhelmed knowing that there is now a whole pack of sisters that he has to deal with, but he was pretty quiet during the first visit. He did love holding Adalyn and was very sweet to her.

Avalon waited impatiently for her turn and then was very excited to get to hold Adalyn. She spent the next ten minutes figuring out what she was allowed to do and not do. For example she gently touched Adalyn's nose and when that didn't really do anything she decided that she would push the nose harder until either Adalyn squeeled or Dad told her to stop.

Adalyn is sure to get more attention than she could have ever dreamed of - we are all so excited to welcome her to our family!

"B" is for...Baby

2009-08-13T07:32:00.003-05:00

We are so happy to welcome Adalyn Jem Anderson to our crazy family. She was born August 13th, 2009 at 3:58 AM. She weighs 6 pounds, 13 ounces and is 19 inches long.

She came out bright pink and letting the whole world know that she had arrived by screaming so loudly that nurses from other rooms came in to see what all the ruckus was about.

JoAnn said "this was the easiest delivery ever...I am ready for another" okay so she didn't say anything about another baby but she was happy that delivery went smoothly and very quickly. Our nurse said she was in active labor for only a half hour before Adalyn was born.

We will get better pictures soon, but here is a sneak peek...

"L" is for.....Last

2009-08-12T06:23:00.008-05:00

In all my Pregnancy Glory!!

Today marks the last day of my Pregnancy. My last pregnancy, my last baby. The last day that we will be a family of 5. The last day my 3 kids will be just as they are right now. The last day I know what sleep feels like and the last day of Monte asking if everything is ok in the middle of the night.

Things are changing and it is somewhat bitter-sweet. Even though I will never miss hourly trips to the bathroom, a constant churning stomach and heartburn strong enough to knock me off my feet. "Lasts" can be a hard! Even though we are all so excited to move onto the next chapter and meet our new addition, this last seems more emotional.

Our family is changing. Growing. Avalon will never be the baby again, a feat we are not sure she will be able to handle. Anali and Aden as always, willing and excited for the change. As a mother I wonder if I will ever leave the house again or really be able to handle 4 kids! Things will be busier and more hectic. I'm sure my house will be dirtier, if that is at all possible. Regardless, we are ready for the change and waiting to embrace it!!!

If all works out, we will be heading to the hospital tonight for induction. This of course depends all on the hospital having room to take me. I've been through this before and waited to get in for 3 days so we will see how it works out for me this time. Check back in the next few days to meet our new addition.

"Z" is for Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

2009-06-22T21:48:00.004-05:00

Well our precious 21 month old Avalon continues to amuse us with her antics.

Last night while wishing our father's a Happy Father's Day, I continued to hear the normal noises of Avalon getting to sleep. She was noisier than normal so I went to check on her after the call. She was asleep, but had decided that she needed to gather a "few" of her favorite things to cuddle up with to go to sleep.

After unloading her bed, I found this list of things that she apparently could not sleep without.

1 baby crib, a doll, a blue hippo, her Sunday dress, a pair of Anali's pajamas, a plastic horse, the rider, a gate to the toy stable, an animal hospital, a purple bead toy, a purse, and 14 books (or bookas as she likes to call them). 25 of an almost 2 year old's favorite things!

Other than that, summer is upon us with 100 degree days and way too much humidity. The kids are loving the time outside and us parents are just trying to keep up.

"O" is for...One

2008-10-07T08:01:00.005-05:00

Avalon has turned ONE!!! It is unbelievable that a year has passed. Time just goes too fast, especially in the life of a baby.

Besides Avalon being a little under the weather, she had a pretty great birthday! We did a fun little duckie theme and it was bright and cheery.

The day started off with a trip to pick-up balloons. Avalon loved them and I dare say it was her favorite part of her birthday. Which I am such a good Mom that I didn't even take a picture of her playing with them.

We then got all ready for her party. Iced the cake and wrapped presents all while she took a short nap.

After Dad got home we started the fun stuff and opened presents. It was really sweet as a lot of the kids from the neighborhood knew it was her birthday and stopped by with a little gift for her. She got some fun things, her most favorite being a doll. She also got a fun little purse, outfits, stuffed animals and a music maker. She also got a special "Jade" bracelet from Grandma and Grandpa Anderson, since her middle name is Jade.

Of course all the neighbor girls had to stay for cake, so we had quite a crowd for the big moment. It started with Avalon jumping up and down to get to the cake, which we put on the table due to my last 2 kids making such messes. Once the candle was blown out she went right for it, poked a finger in the frosting and started screaming. Every time she touched the cake she would cry. She was scared to death of it! We finally got her to take a duck off and suck on it, but she was having nothing to do with taking hand fulls and piling it in her mouth. By this point she was cranky and tired and just wanted to go to bed. It was the end of a very long and special day of turning One!!!

"P" is for...Pocatello Marathon

2008-09-01T16:27:00.000-05:00

This marathon has become a yearly tradition for the Anderson Family. We ran this a couple years ago and it was a blast for the whole family to get together and run. A great meeting site for a Family Reunion

This year Jerry the head of the Family and party planner turned 60 several days before the marathon so it was only natural that the family come from all over to celebrate, and what better way to celebrate than spend a day running after Grandpa!

This year Monte ran a 10k and took 1st for his age group. The kids, Anali, Aden and Avalon all ran the fun run and finished. Aden was a trooper as usual and just kept running. Avalon and I tried to keep up pace. Anali ran really fast crying the whole way.

"F" is for...First Day of School

2008-08-28T15:20:00.000-05:00

That's right Anali is officially in Kindergarten.

She has had a hard adjustment being gone from home so long, but she is loving it! Her teacher Miss Reed is excellent and makes school so fun. Anali is learning a lot and is really close to reading, which is super exciting!

Aden is in Pre-School and surprised all of us when he just walked right in the door with no tears.

He has loved all the fun projects they do at school and is always so happy to pull them out of his backpack and show me.

What a year!!! We have lots of learning and growing to do this year in school and lots of fun to look forward to.

"G" is for...Gymnastics Meet

2008-08-16T14:39:00.000-05:00

Anali participated in her second ever meet for her Gymnastics school. She worked really hard to perfect her routine, and all her hard work payed off.

She did a excellent routine. The best I had seen her do it in all of her practicing! On her first pass during her routine she had to do a forward roll, straddle roll, chase, chase, cartwheel, cartwheel, salute. Second pass was a handstand (touch feet together), short run, round-off, rebound, stretch jump, salute. By far the handstand was the hardest for her and she did it perfect. She received a 9.05 for her performance. That put her 2nd in her group and 4th overall.

She was so excited to get a medal!! She also remembered that last year she got flowers and was sure to mention that if she got a medal she also got flowers!!

We are so proud of and love our little gymnast!!!

"S" is for...Sailing

2008-08-12T11:17:00.001-05:00

As a gift on Father's Day we gave Monte Sailing Lessons. I know you are all wondering "Sailing Lessons in Iowa" I too was surprised, but they exist. They are taught on Grey's Lake by the cutest 80 year old man named Dick and the best part is that they are super inexpensive.

Monte came home from his first lesson with a smile on his face and a little bounce to his step. He had a great time and the wind cooperated for the most part. There were a few "Chris Farley" moments on the lake but he seemed to enjoy it.

We joined him on his last day to watch him maneuver around the obstacle course set-up and he was able to take the kids out for a ride. I chatted with his sailing instructor on the shore while he sailed around with the kids one at a time. Dick was a sure delight!! At 80 years old still full of life and so excited about this wonderful hobby. I learned several things about sailing and the most interesting is that it is very inexpensive as far as hobbies go. Lucky for me as I think it might be a new favorite summer activity!

"O" is for...One Hundred and Four

2008-08-04T19:35:00.005-05:00

104 degrees. That is how hot it is outside today. It is also how hot Anali has been on and off today. Coincidence???? She is being a trooper, but a high fever, headache, and throw-up is not fun for anyone. She has worried all day that she will not be better in time for school, her gymnastic meet or the week that our neighbor girl gets to stay with us. She also mentioned that this is a "really bad bad day".

Since Anali was not feeling well, the other two kids had a lot less Mom and Anali time. Aden showed his disappointment by drawing a wonderful picture on the carpet in yellow marker! I was too mad to think to take a picture, but it would have been a great addition to this post. Instead I quickly tried to clean it up...can anyone say "yellow pea looking stain"? Aden will be happy when Anali gets feeling better and uses her imagination to keep him going in a world of make-believe.
Avalon was really, really missing her sister today. Anali plays with Avalon so much more than I realized. Her newest favorite thing to play with Avalon is pretending that Avalon is some type of animal on a leash. She is so good with her and loves to make her smile and laugh. I know Avalon is hoping Anali is better soon so she has a play pal.
Unfortunately I think today was just a taste of what it will be like to have Anali at school all day. Everyone is going to miss her SO MUCH!

Get better soon sweetie, so we have a few more fun days to play before school starts!

"W" is for...WHAT!!!

2008-07-30T11:26:00.002-05:00

That's right WHAT!!! I looked at the calendar today and realized that it was the END OF JULY! I'm not sure what has happened to June but it is gone as is July for the most part.

I am a slacker on the posting front. I have no excuse for the lack of posts, but a promise to try and do better. Here are some of our summer highlights....

Jumping on the Tramp with the sprinkler (until the 90 mile winds blew it over the fence)

Staying cooled off while eating popcorn and watching a show with friends

Enjoying the first sparkler on 4th of July

A trip to Minnesota to enjoy one of their 10,000 lakes, the beach and friends

Lego Land

Nickelodeon Universe and Mall of America

Avalon Turning 8 Months

Nine Months

And today 10 Months.

We have also.....

had a flooded basement
enjoyed Gymnastic Classes
rode lots of miles on our bikes
eaten our fair share of ice cream
learned to crawl, pull-up and climb the stairs
enjoyed lots of time with our friends
taken walks to the library
jury duty all of July
enjoyed our first dance class
been sick on and off this summer
been getting ready for a Gymnastics Meet
and are currently taking swimming lessons.

So there you have our summer in a nut shell. Hopefully there will be some time before school to slow down and breath!

"F" is for...Family

2008-05-30T08:25:00.003-05:00

That is right a FAMILY picture! It has been 5 long years since we had one taken and I now know why. Getting the outfits together, hair cuts, everyone happy and clean and most of all no bumps or bruises in plain sight, is a NIGHTMARE. It had to be done though, so we attempted and after a reschedule due to our wonderful weather here in Iowa. Our pictures are viewable on this http://www.feelingthephoto.blogspot.com/ photo blog. So go here and check out our fake smiles and chub.

Erica Grover, a friend and very talented photographer took our pictures and did an amazing job!!! I feel very lucky she was able to fit us in for a session, she is in high demand. Thanks Erica for the wonderful memories!!!!

"G" is for...Graduation

2008-05-26T11:37:00.004-05:00

Anali with her teachers, Mrs McEntee & Mrs Tekippe

Anali is officially done with Pre-School and off to Kindergarten. Her Pre-School had an adorable little Graduation ceremony, complete with caps and diploma's.

Anali receiving her diploma

It was neat to see all the little songs and such that she had learned in the past year and most of all to see how proud she was of herself. Time has sure gone fast and I cannot believe that she is starting school. What will I do without her around during the days next year?

Graduation March

We are so proud of our little girl and can't wait to see what the years ahead bring. Congratulations Anali!!

"3" is for...a 3 year old boy.

2008-05-17T15:15:00.006-05:00

Well Aden (aka Superman, Big Brother, Spiderman, Googer, and Binky Boy) made it to another birthday and as usual was spoiled much more than needed. He has been into superheroes lately and his birthday was a true reflection of this latest craze.

Aden started the birthday celebration out with a new Superman shirt - so we can now finally take off the old Superman tanktop and get it in the wash.

He decided that he wanted to go to the park for his birthday and have McDonalds for lunch. The adults picked up Panera sandwiches and salads and then we picked up Happy Meals for Aden and Anali. The kids had a blast enjoying one of the first really nice days of 2008 and spent a little too much time in the sun, as evidenced by the rosy glow to their noses and arms.

We then had present time and Aden was spoiled with lots of superhero clothes, books, swords, etc. Everything that a little boy loves! He finished off the presents with a little treasure hunt that led him to a motorized jeep. It was a great capping point to a fun celebration.

The party ended with a Superman cake (go figure) and the day's activities wore the kids down enough to ensure they were fast asleep at a decent hour.

The next year for Aden is sure to bring many more wonderful memories and adventures!

"W" is for...Whirlpool

2008-04-17T19:41:00.004-05:00

So anyone who knows me, knows that I am HORRIBLE at laundry. If you have ever caught me in the midst of my endless laundry piles I will often say "I can wash OR dry OR fold OR put away, but I can't do all of them at the same time". This is so true even now, but I have to share with you the love affair I have with my Whirlpool Washer.

On our recent trip to Utah I realized just how much I missed it. We were gone for 2 weeks and obviously had to do several loads of laundry at several different places along the way. This is when I realized how much I LOVED my washer and dryer. At home I never had to worry that something had come clean. Or that the clothes needed an extra 10 minutes of dry time or washed again because the soap was still clumpy all over in our clothes, or not clean.

I am one of those people who most often makes bad decisions on big ticket items. Therefore resulting in buyers remorse and hating the object every time I use it wishing it were different. Not this time. Determined not to make yet another bad decision, I started researching. I polled friends, family, neighbors, searched stores, pondering what I wanted. I finally decided on the Whirlpool Duet Sport with pedestals and thus began my love affair. Not with laundry, but with clean.

I am amazed that I can put my kids chocolate, koolaide, spaghetti stained shirts in the washer and they come out sparkling clean. Avalon the queen of blowouts has not ruined one outfit yet thanks to my washer. The dryer is wonderful as well. My clothes don't seem to be as wrinkled and dry in a mere 23 minutes and seem to smell all that much better. Oh and did I mention the entertainment it provides for the kids. My kids think it is better than TV. They will watch most of a 54 minute cycle while I fold clothes, watching for their clothes as they turn about. All this and it is SUPER energy efficient, what more could a girl want? So may I say if you are in the market for the most AMAZING laundry experience, buy a Whirlpool Duet Sport.....you will not be disappointed.

So here is a big hug and kiss to my laundry pair. I may not like to use them, but when I do it's a job well done on their part.

"S" is for...Six Months

2008-04-13T20:56:00.000-05:00

Avalon is six months....what???? I don't know where the time has gone? I know every one says that, but I really don't know. I think number 3 makes time go faster somehow. I hate to admit it, but I am not sure of the last picture I took of Avalon and I have yet to write anything down on her calendar. How sad, sad, sad! Hopefully my time blogging will make up for that. So here is to our baby at six months.

Avalon has taken the "best baby" award in our family. She has turned into a great sleeper and a super happy baby most of the time. She is sitting all by herself and has done so for a couple of months now. However in the rolling over department she has not mastered that skill yet and I really don't think she will. You don't have to know how to rollover to be successful in life, right?She loves, loves, loves to watch her brother and sister and be right where all the action is. Anali is the only person that can make Avalon laugh on demand and it is so cute. Avalon is not stingy in the smile department. She smiles all the time, if she is not smiling she is drooling. She had her check-up and I was surprised to see that she was still on the charts in the chunk department. She weighed in at a whopping 19 pounds 4 ounces. that is 10 ounces heavier than Anali at six months and we thought she was chunky. Avalon has several nicknames right now and seems to answer to Chunky Monkey, Princess, Smiley, Miss Jade and Baby. She is a wonderful blessing in our lives!!!! Her personality shines through more each day and I am loving getting to know her!!

"N"...is for Name

2008-04-10T11:09:00.001-05:00

Ok I know you all might be getting bored of the photos and stories from our trip, but I feel that I have to document......so here we go.
Monte and I have always wanted to name one of our children after Grandma Dudley, but was afraid of the problems a child with the name "LULA" may encounter. We finally got creative and came up with the name Avalon. This fit our "A" tradition and was connected to Grandma. She has lived on the farm since she was little....a farm that her father, my Great Grandfather homestead. A small section of land that he homestead he eventually gave to the Community. When the land was given they decided to let my Great Grandfather name the town. He decided on the name "Avalon" which means beautiful land. Now anyone that has been to Avalon would for sure have to question his name as sage brush and red dirt hills in my book come far from beautiful, but I think maybe he saw what it could be. Even though Avalon is past it's prime, there is still a few little places around town and we thought it would be fun to take some pictures with Avalon and her namesake town.

"D" is for...Dreams do come True

2008-04-08T19:01:00.000-05:00

It is True!!!! Dreams do come true and not just at Disney World. Aden's dream came true in the good ol' Avalon. Grandpa took Aden up in the field on the John Deere Backhoe and dug a "Big, Big, hole". Aden was so serious the whole time. I think he loved it, even though in the pictures he doesn't really look like it. He said he was concentrating. Once the hole was dug, he was so proud of himself!

He also went for several rides on the 4-wheeler, not as exciting as the Backhoe, but still pretty fun. I think it is so funny that he is so serious in all these pictures. He is concentrating so hard and taking it all in that if he smiles he might miss something.

Thanks to Grandpa for making Aden's year and taking the time to make his dreams come true!!

"G" is for...Great Grandma

2008-04-04T18:25:00.000-05:00

What a special day!!! The day that my children get to meet their Great Grandma for the first time! I am very close with Grandma and know what a special person she is, she has 94 years of wisdom to offer so this is always a special time. We always make a special trip in the early months of their lives so that they are able to meet Great Grandma.

This trip to Utah was especially needed as Avalon had not had the chance to meet her namesake, Great Grandma Dudley. Grandma loves babies and I always find it so special to be the witness of the babies looking into Grandma's eyes and getting to know her, soaking in her knowledge and wisdom.

What a special bond that is made in such a short time.

This trip we also took the time and made a side trip to Burley, Idaho to see Monte's Grandma Rucker. Our kids were able to spend a day with her and get to know her as well. It was a wonderful visit and we had a great time catching up with her.

I love that we made it possible for our kids to meet and get to know their Great Grandmas. We did miss seeing one Great Grandma as she was in California visiting her sisters, her age has not slowed her down, that is for sure. I am so glad that we took the time to share our children, see our precious Grandmothers and enjoy all their wisdom, advice and love that they have to offer. I do believe that with age all things become better!!

2008-04-02T18:00:00.000-05:00

Anali celebrated her FIFTH Birthday in the best way a girly girl can. She had a glamour party with 5 of her closest friends. They were taken to the Salon for makeovers, where they transformed the girls from little cuties to beautiful princesses. All including hair, make-up and polished nails.

This is the group of girls before their makeovers......

And this is the end result from the front....and from the back.

Lastly we ended the day by eating pizza (Anali's pick) and returning home to unveil the much anticipated present. Dad had worked on this all day and just before bed we led Anali down to our basement where from wall to wall was a TRAMP. Yes we were crazy enough to put a full sized tramp on cinder blocks in our basement. We knew that this was the one and only thing that Anali really wanted and to us it just did not seem fair to give her a box and say "when it gets warm you can have your present" so Monte being the great Dad that he is began measuring spaces in our house that a 14 foot tramp may fit. For a while the location was to be my living room, which I was finally able to talk him out of as he realized we would have to crawl on our hands and knees to have access to our 2nd floor. The tramp has been a wonderful addition to our house and it is a favorite of every child that comes to our house. We are hoping for spring to come and then it will be moved permanently to our back yard. I am only afraid that the kids will expect it to be moved back to the basement next winter. I do believe Anali had a great Birthday and the Tramp was the topping on the cake! I'm not sure where the last 5 years have gone, but we love Anali and all the spice she adds to our family. Happy Birthday Princess!!!

"C" is for Catch Up

2008-03-30T11:00:00.007-05:00

I know you are so SHOCKED!!! So I have become the annoying blogger who doesn't update their posts!! I really wanted to stay on top of this......but as most things in my life go, I get lazy and behind. So here is an attempt to "catch up" for the last few months.

We were faced with a major change in our lives at the end of January when Monte was downsized from his job at Wells Fargo. February was spent with him searching for the perfect job (much of the reason my computer time was cut short). Monte spent a few days in Seattle interviewing. We also had two "fives" to celebrate. Anali turned 5 and Avalon 5 months.

Anali blowing out the candles on her cake.

Avalon enjoying her favorite thing at FIVE months.....a soak in the sink!

March brought in the sights of spring!! Many job offers and New employment, a long 3000 mile road trip, visits to Family and the fun of Easter traditions. The month comes to a close with chunky monkey Avalon celebrating 6 months. I will be trying to post events from our family trip in greater detail in the days to come.

Monte is now employed at John Deere Credit. It has been quite a change for him after working for Wells Fargo for 10 years, but a wonderful opportunity and super exciting for our John Deere enthusiast Aden.

Fun times with our cousins in Idaho. Aden, Natalie, Anali, Ashlie and Gavin enjoying each other!
The kids Easter attire after 3 hours of church, but their faces are all that matter, right!

My plans are in full swing for summer. We are ready for the warmth of the sun to hopefully tan our whitened skin and a few summer activities and weekend trips to keep us busy.

"F" is for...Food Friday

2008-02-22T10:06:00.005-06:00

Well this week has been crazy and my posting is falling behind again, but I wanted to make sure I at least did a recipe this week. I found this recipe from Heidi Swap (a famous scrapbooker) and had to give it a try. I made it for Christmas Eve dinner and it was delicious. I had intentions of making it this week, but we had way too much cake left over from Anali's birthday celebration. Any how I think this is a great cake all made from scratch....I have had a hard time finding a scratch cake recipe that I like. Give this a try, I promise you will not be disappointed. This makes a whole sheet cake so you will have plenty to take to neighbors, a pot luck or just indulge. The Mud Pie additions are also good, but I was a fan of just plain old chocolate.

CHOCOLATE CAKE
1C. water
½ C. oil
½ C. margarine
2 C. Sugar
2 C. flour
1 tsp. soda
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
½ C. sour or buttermilk***
4 T. cocoa

In a saucepan, melt the marg(or butter) and mix in water, oil and cocoa. Bring to a boil, dissolving cocoa well. Remove from heat. Add sugar, flour and eggs and beat well. Dissolve soda in buttermilk, and mix in with vanilla. Bake in a 10x17 inch greased cookie sheet (the kind w/ sides) at 325 for 20 minutes.
***if you don’t have buttermilk, you can add ½ teaspoon of lemon juice to regular milk and let it stand for about 10 minutes to substitute.

FROSTING:
1 lb powdered sugar
¼ C. cocoa
¼ C. milk
½ C. butter

Put all ingredients in saucepan. Stir well over medium heat until everything dissolves. Remove from heat and add 1 t. vanilla and frost while warm

FOR MUD PIE:
Remove cake from oven and cover with mini-marshmallows and return to oven for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and wait just a couple minutes, then pour the frosting over all the top.

Out of a possible 5 'yums':

Monte rates this: (3) yums, It was not his favorite, but it helped his chocolate craving.

JoAnn rates this: (4) yums, It is all chocolate and very moist, what's not to love!

Anali rates this: (4.5) yums, not very crumb messy to eat and cake with brown icing is her favorite.

Aden rates this: (3) yums, he likes cake, but would rather have a cookie.

Avalon is unrated in the review.

Once again return next week as I just went to a "cooking show" and have a bunch of new fun recipes to try out and will be posting them in the weeks to come, on my installment of Food Friday.

"F" is for...Food Friday

2008-02-15T14:17:00.004-06:00

So I think I am going to try to talk about a new recipe on Fridays. We have been trying lots of new things at our house lately and I think this should be fun to see how our tastes change. The most recent thing we tried was Chicken Tortilla Soup. Now I must admit that I am not a big soup person, in fact Monte is really the only one I know that likes soup. We got the recipe out of the Sunday USA Today paper and the picture of the bowl of soup looked super yummy, so we had to give it a try. So I have to say this soup was AMAZING!!! I even ate it as leftovers, which I usually don't do. Here's the recipe and our family 'yum rating'.

PREP TIME: 20 Min
COOK TIME: 20 Min
READY IN: 40 Min
SERVINGS & SCALING: Original recipe yield: 8 servings

INGREDIENTS
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried cumin
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes (we used mexican flavored)
1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed chicken broth
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup whole corn kernels, cooked
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
crushed tortilla chips
sliced avocado
shredded Monterey Jack cheese
chopped green onions

DIRECTIONS
In a medium stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic in oil until soft. Stir in chili powder, cumin, tomatoes, broth, and water. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
Stir in corn, chiles, beans, cilantro, and chicken. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Ladle soup into individual serving bowls, and top with crushed tortilla chips, avocado slices, cheese, and chopped green onion.

Leftover can be frozen and can be done in the crockpot if you wish.

Out of a possible 5 'yums':

Monte rates this: (4) yums, thought it could use some more spice

JoAnn rates this: (4.5) yums, I loved the cheesy goodness and tangy flavor.

Anali rates this: (.5) yums, we are lucky she tasted the broth

Aden rates this: (1) he took several bites and ate lots of chips

Avalon is unrated in the review.

I hope you enjoyed this installment of "Food Friday". Return next week when we review a "sweet" dessert.

"L" is for...Love Day!

2008-02-14T07:09:00.002-06:00

Were DOG-GONE Crazy about YOU!!!

I LOVE Valentines Day!!! Next to Christmas it is the best crafting day of the year. I had so much fun making the above Valentines with Anali for her PreSchool Class. I just think they are the cutest! She was such a little perfectionist with the placement of the the noses and eyes and I think she had fun, and if not she humoured me.

My favorite memory of Valentines day(and the week leading up to it) is that of my Grandma's Valentine Cookies. When I was little and starting school my Grandma used to make these Gigantic heart cookies. They had a lacey frosting around the edge, and my name boldy spelled in the middle. Every Valentines day from Kindergarten, and maybe before, clear up until my senior year my Grandma would ask for my Valentine list. She would then make a special oversized cookie for every person on the list. Teachers got an even bigger and more special cookie. Grandma did this for every Grandchild she had, and even hand delivered them to those who lived farther away. I think I once heard her say that she had made almost 600 cookies at one time.

It was quite the process. She worked on them for days and days. I remember walking down to her house and watching, sometimes even helping. Mostly I would sneak cookie dough and of course wanted to be there when she wrote the names of those in my class. Everyone that was ever in my class LOVED getting a extra large and oversized Valentine cookie. I was so proud to pass these out and I felt so special. I would love to carry on the same wonderful tradition, but thanks to the "no baking" rules at schools they have totally ruined it for me.

I just wanted to take a little trip down memory lane.

My Grandma is such a wonderful, selfless and talented person and I miss not seeing her more. I espicially miss her around Valentines day and other holidays that she has made special traditions for. Today would be perfect if I had a hand delivered Valentine cookie from Grandma. I guess I will have to attempt baking these special cookies once agian this year. Happy Valentines Day Grandma Parrish, we Love You!!! Thanks for making heart day so special for me each and every year. Your the greatest!!!!

"D" is for...Deep Water

2008-02-12T20:15:00.005-06:00

So what do you do when you are 4 and 2 and locked in the house for days on end? PRETEND!

Three is the number of days my house has been full of "deep water". Two is the number of beaches we have in our house. One is the number of outfits that the kids have worn for 3 solid days. One is also the number of water guns defending the "deep water". Thier imaginations are in full swing!! My living room has been turned into the deep ocean, complete with bad guys, mermaids, sharks, superman, sun, boats, a beach and of course a water gun. I am amazed that a little boy and girl wearing swimming suits and one play gun can be entertainment for 3 solid days.

Aden has developed a new lazer vision used for fighting bad guys in the deep water. He calls it "power eyes"! This is Aden's spin on Superman's heat vision. This action is being used for every single thing now days and looks something like below, with a sssssppppppp sound attatched to it.

In the last three days I have walked into the living room and been grabbed by a shark attacking me. I have also been saved from drowning by Superman. I have been able to sun bathe on the beach while watching kids jumping into the water. All this in the dead of winter!!! Now if only I had a tan.My favorite thing about this is that Anali and Aden are finding out how great it is to be brother and sister. I also love that they get up each morning planning thier day at the beach and go straight from thier PJ's to swim suits. I love that Aden has at least 5 other suits, but he picks the one that is too small for him and constantly pulls it down so it will cover his belly. I love that they have such imaginations. I love that they know how to play so nice together. I love that Anali and Adens swim suits match! But most of all I love that they LOVE each other!!!!

"J" is for...John Deere Tractor

2008-02-11T21:36:00.003-06:00

The good saying goes "Nothing runs like a Deer but smells like a John" and Aden could care less. He thinks that John Deere may well be the best thing in the world!!! Last year on my quest to find Aden a lawnmower for his birthday, I went to the local John Deere dealership in hopes that they had a toy section. What I found was a whole lot more!!! Not only did they have a toy section, but they had a whole store full of "real" lawnmowers. Some were push mowers, riding mowers and even some smaller tractors.....needless to say a little boys dream. Since this day last year we have made many visits to the John Deere Dealership.

Most mornings start off with Aden announcing that he wants to go to the "lawnmowerererer store". Once he gets that in his head, not many things will distract him. So off to the lawnmower store we go. I know the salesmen think I am nuts, but they let us have the run of the store and have not asked us to leave yet, which I am thankful for. I can't think of a better place to take kids on a snowy day. It's warm, clean and mostly germ free!

Aden is now able to locate the gas tank on every model. He loves climbing on and off each model and moving to the next, taking in every button and feature. After he gets off each lawnmower he will proudly announce "Me want that one". The funniest thing of it all is that at the back of the store sits plenty of wonderful John Deere Toys, which he will have nothing to do with. Aden is all boy thats for sure!!! It is only a matter of time before we actually come home with a John Deere and if Aden had his way it would be sooner rather than later!

"F" is for...Frosty the Snowman

2008-02-11T21:05:00.000-06:00

Due to the recent snow storms that have kept us home from work and school we decided to make it into a fun time and this is the result.
They were finally able to put to good use the Snowman kit that I made for them. I had so much fun making the kits (I made a total of 12 for Christmas gifts) that I only hope they had as much fun using it. I think it made the building of a snowman a little more fun, if I do say so myself. All three kids have a great time in the snow. That would be Monte, Anali and Aden. They have spent many hours shoveling snow and Aden has even gotten out his dear old friend the lawnmower and "snow mowered" the back yard. We only wish that the snow was more snow man building friendly (it is always to light and fluffy) and that the tempature reached above zero. The last week has been down right miserable!!! We are all going a little stir crazy and need some fresh air that doesn't freeze your spit when you open your mouth. Until the weather cooperates so that we can enjoy the out of doors once again, we will continue using our imaginations inside and try to stay warm.

"S" is for...Super Stars

2008-01-25T21:26:00.000-06:00

When I was little my Grandma Parrish use to humor me and my cousins and let us get all dressed up in her high heels, make-up and use the wedding gown she had gotten just as a dress-up dress. On real special occasions Grandma would also give us a treat of fake fingernails and eyelashes! My cousins and I could spend hours upon hours making ourselves glamorous. I even remember putting fake nails on our toes!!! It was an all day event and always ended in a fashion show. Well thanks to a wonderful little friend of Anali's named Brooklynn Blair, we had a similar Fashion show at our house on a snowy Saturday and I have to tell you it was almost like I was 6 again.

It all started as I was sitting in the office.....the girls were whispering and tip toeing around. From the bedroom to the bathroom to the bedroom to outside. As I began to question them they kept saying nothing was up. Pretty soon I see this outside the office door!

"sin (sign) ups for the fasin (fashion) show: include name , date, address and phone. At this point I'm not really getting it but head downstairs to attend to Avalon. Monte rushes in the house and heads right up stairs. I mention that Anali and Brooklynn have been really quite and to check on them. Before I know it, down the stairs comes Monte with an invitation printed from Anali's Disney camera. I was given several dollars and a handful of coins as my money to get my ticket to the show. Monte then begins announcing for everyone to take their seats at the bottom of the stairs. Out comes the first model and then the second. All followed by rounds of applause of course! It was short and sweet and I thought over. Oh no it was only beginning.....this was followed by the red carpet walk where the models stopped and posed for all the cameras.

After which we were also allowed to line up for Autograph signing

The girls then answered a few questions and informed me that I would be allowed to take a picture with them. This was all to much fun and I had such a great time!!!
I love how hard they worked at their fashion show and of course who could forget how Stylin they looked. I love the mismatched colors and clothes they found from the bottom of the drawer....but none the less I felt like I was six again and they were most defiantly SUPER STARS!!!

"B" is for Big Brother

2008-01-16T19:40:00.000-06:00

Ever since Avalon was born, this saying has become a favorite of Aden's. At first we thought Aden was so proud. He loved sporting his "Big Brother" shirt and was so proud to show all the nurses at the hospital. He insisted on wearing it not only the first day he came to meet his new sister, but the day after that and the day after that as well. Yes, besides his BYU Cougar blue shirt, it is all he wears. So we knew he was happy with his shirt and liked to say he was a "Big Brother" but we had no idea what was in store. Aden continues to LOVE his "Big Brother" shirt, but the saying itself has several meanings. If Aden appears next to you and you happen to say "You look so handsome today" the reply is usually "me not handsome, me big brother". If Aden successfully opens a door he proudly announces "me a big brother". There are also the times that Aden is sad and crying and you try to comfort him and he says "me not sad, me big brother". Aden is also sure to tell complete strangers "me big brother" usually pointing to his shirt at the same time. It's funny as Aden for the most part has no interest in his little sister, but he sure knows that he is a "Big Brother". Regardless of what Aden means when he says it, we are sure happy that he is "Our Big Brother".

"F" is for...Famous (almost)

2008-01-04T17:21:00.000-06:00

Last night was history in the making!! We were able to brave freezing temperatures to attend the Iowa Caucus. It was so exciting to be part of something so important to those running for the White House. We felt extra special as we also got to meet one of the front runners.....Mitt Romney!!! What a stand up candidate he is. He knows that every vote counts and made the time to shake hands, sign autographs and take pictures with all his supporters, us included! As he was leaving the building, passing by Anali and I, Anali stuck out her hand and Mitt grabbed it and shook her hand while I tried desperately to get a picture. When Mitt saw this, he knelt down and said to Anali "lets let your mom take our picture". What a kind man!!! He must have known how much I wanted that picture for our scrapbook.

Anali, as always, was the shinning star of the night and has her picture plastered just inside the front page of the Des Moines Register with Mr Romney. Monte also got some face time on the Register's Web Site. See them both in this link and click next. http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=D2&Date=20080103&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=801030824&Ref=PH&Params=Itemnr=2#top

Due to Mitt showing up right before the Caucus, there was press galore and the Register asked me a few questions. My friend Tiff Briggs was interviewed by the Wall Street Journal and we are watching for that. I think we all felt just a little important and "famous" if it be only for a few seconds.

The Iowa Caucus was hot and crowded and in true Waukee fashion very poorly organized. The Caucusing that should have taken 1/2 hour took 2 hours and we were all a little grumpy. In our precinct and county Mitt won so it was worth it.

Attending Caucus was like a step back in time. Everything is done by hand. Nothing looks very official at all. We were handed a photo copied little slip of paper. They were marked and put in a box, that was passed around. The "officials" dumped them on a table and counted the slips. All out in the open with all of us watching. It would have been so easy to take slips from the box or off of the table. But we are all republicans, which means we are honest, right? It is something to see and worth the trip to Iowa in 2012, if nothing else just so you can feel "famous" too.

Here are our photos from the nights events.

"G" is for...Getting Big

2007-12-31T16:29:00.000-06:00

Avalon turned a big 3 months old on December 30th. She has a super sweet personality and is happy to give smiles all the time. She has been such a joy and loves to cuddle with her Daddy, which she has been doing a lot lately. I am stopped all the time and told how beautiful she is and I would have to agree. She has such a special mix of traits and I see a little of Anali and a little of Aden. Most of all she is our little Princess!!!

Enjoy this!!!! Showcasing none other than the 3 month old, Avalon.

"S" is for...Santa came to Town

2007-12-31T10:45:00.000-06:00

Christmas Morning was a great time at our house. Not only did our kids sleep in until 7:30, the latest they had slept in weeks, but they were also VERY excited. Aden and Anali are at such perfect ages for all the fun of Christmas.

Santa did indeed find our house and spoiled our kids to no end. They each loved their gifts from Santa and we had a great time watching as they played with their new found favorite toy.

Aden asked for a "work bench like Daddy's" and that is what he got. He loves building the little mini tool box, and the little flashlight that lights up his work bench. I think he is pretty happy with Santa.
Anali had a long list for Santa and he chose to bring her "My little Pet Shops". She has had fun decorating the rooms in the house and playing on the Gondola with her pets. She chooses to wake up at 5 am and turn on all the lights downstairs so she can create a perfect play house with her pets, all this instead of watching TV. I think she likes it!!!
Avalon was a little harder for Santa to pick something for, but decided on this counting piggy bank. She seemed to like the music and voices coming from it, one things for sure if she doesn't like it Big Brother and Sister do.

Christmas morning was a mess of paper throwing and piles and piles of toys and clothes. Needless to say I think we were all treated very well for Christmas, we all must have been on the good list. Here are several of the favorite gifts that the kids opened up.

Aden's John Deer Tractor and Garbage Truck were sure winners with him. He loads garbage with his tractor and dumps it with his garbage truck. He thinks it is great fun!

Two sure hits with Anali were the Dress-up Trunk and her Leapster. Ever since Christmas you can find her in one of the dresses from the trunk playing her leapster. She thinks she is such a big girl and I would have to agree.Dad and Aden were surprised to get a present to both of them. They got a ship building lego set that blasts cannons. I am tired of the little balls all over the house already, but they have had some really great "cannon wars" and enjoy building crazy lego creations together.
One of the cutest gifts was that of their Webkins. Aden and Anali each got one and they LOVE them. They have been named (Froggy and Sparkly) very original if I must say so myself. They have decorated their homes online and they are sure to feed Froggy and Sparkly each day. They both think it was very nice of Avalovely to give them these new Webkins. Avalovely is our other Webkin that we have had for several months (a gift to Avalon hence the name). Out of the blue Anali will say "it was so nice of Avalovely to give us new webkins". I think she thinks Avalovely is real....which is so cute and naive. They are the animals that they both chose to go to sleep with and the ones that get carried all around. I am so glad that they have something that they can enjoy together as Brother and Sister.

Thanks to Grandmas and Grandpas for making Christmas so special for us as we are away from you all during the holidays. What a MERRY Christmas we had.

"E" is for...Eve of Traditions

2007-12-27T05:45:00.000-06:00

Christmas Eve, what a fun filled and exciting day!!! Our kids were so well behaved and the holiday excitement was in the air. Anali controlled her need for presents pretty well, however Aden was the one begging "me open present now" most of the day.

So here is how our Eve of Traditions unfolded. We started the day out with lots of relaxing in a clean and mostly organized house. Monte of course running to town to do his last minute Christmas shopping (when will he ever learn?). Our relaxing consisted of......

lots of cuddles,
snow fun for a good 2 hours solid,and reading a Creating Keepsakes magazine that the mailman was nice enough to deliver on Christmas Eve....what a great surprise!
Prime Rib Feast!!! Super delicious.
Reenactment of Nativity with special speaking parts for the kids.
Aden's part was telling Mary "No room at inn" and Anali saying "lets just stay in the stable". Avalon did her part perfect which was "laying still and not crying".
We headed outside with Reindeer Food in hand to mark the path for Rudolph.
Back inside we dressed in Christmas PJ's. Opened Gifts,
and left a plate for Santa.

Anali decided that we could leave Santa some Cake and Milk instead of cookies because maybe he would "be bored of too many cookies".

And off to bed to dream of sugar plums in their heads!!!!

"I" is for...I Love You

2007-12-24T11:30:00.000-06:00

This is too cute not to post and since Santa is working his way to our house (he was in Japan last we checked) I thought it would be fun to share.
December 20th was Anali's Preschool Holiday party. The parents were invited to attend and the kids shared some cute songs and activities with us. Just as we started the story "Twas the night before Christmas", what did we hear but jingle bells in the back ground, followed by a hearty "Ho Ho Ho". The look on the kids faces were priceless, as you can tell from this surprised look on Anali's face.
Santa had come to visit and let each Preschooler sit on his lap and give him their wish list. Anali informed him in a happy but somewhat shaky voice that she wanted a "My Little Pet Shop and a Leapster." She was so big and proud!!!

Next they sang Jingle bells with Santa and then the teacher turned the time over to the kids to ask Santa questions. Anali's hand was the first and only hand that went up and she was so excited when Santa pointed at her. She sat there somewhat in awe, not sure she had a question and if she did not knowing what to say. Then just as they were ready to move on, she shouted out a "I LOVE YOU SANTA!!!" I think I might have seen tears in Santa's eyes as it was the most sincere and heartfelt I Love You a little girl could say.

As the day went on, she was so excited to tell her friends and people we saw that she had seen Santa (even though we had seen Santa at the mall several weeks ago, this was "way cooler" as Anali would say) It is so amazing that the 3 small words "I Love You" can mean so much.

"T" is for...Two Months

2007-12-23T21:18:00.000-06:00

Two months is how old Avalon turned on November 30th. She is so cute and fun!!! She is smiling and cooing and has become a pretty pleasant little Angel. These pictures were taken December 7th, by a co-worker of Monte's, named Bev. Thanks to the crappy weather of Iowa, we had an ice storm on Avalon's 2 month day, so I had to wait another week before we could get her pictures. The red sweater was made by Su Yi who is a friend on Monte's from Tae Kwon Do. Both Bev and Su are super talented and a big Kudos to them both for the perfect Two Month pictures!

"M" is for...More Holiday Music

2007-12-23T20:24:00.000-06:00

Here is a moving rendition of Jingle Bells from the Male Anderson Chior!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-25775994426954544&hl=en

"H" is for...Holiday Music

2007-12-23T18:28:00.001-06:00

A very merry song by the resident Diva at the Anderson house.

"U" is for...Unbelievable

2007-12-22T23:00:00.001-06:00

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Eathyn Manumaleuna blocked a field goal as time expired to give No. 17 BYU (No. 19 AP) a 17-16 victory over UCLA on Saturday night in the Las Vegas Bowl.

BYU Cougars WIN the Las Vegas bowl on a miraculous field goal block with no time left on the clock. Cougs pull off the win 17-16 to extend their winning streak to 10 games - the second longest win streak in the nation.
Monte kept the kids up until the end of the game and they saw the whole range of emotion from happiness to disbelief to extreme grumpiness and then finally to elation. It was quite the game!

"C" is for...Christmas Crafts

2007-12-22T20:26:00.000-06:00

We have been crafting away here at the Andersons. In preparation for the upcoming holiday, we made Reindeer Root beer and Reindeer Food to take to all of our friends and neighbors. It is always so fun to watch Anali carefully assemble a craft and Aden who always wants to help. So this year Aden had the very big job of filling the baggies with oatmeal and glitter for the Reindeer food, and I must say he only spilled a little....I was so impressed. As for Anali she was in charge of putting the eyes and noses on the bottles. She was so sure to place them just right and I think she pulled each eye off and replaced it at least 3 times per eye per bottle, can you say "little perfectionist". I of course was in charge of the labels and antlers, with lots of assistance from both Anali and Aden. Avalon had to join the fun as well and spent some of the time sitting on Mom's lap. So here are a few pictures of the assembly line craft process and the end result. We have crafted, delivered and wished Merry Christmas to all, and what fun we have had!

Anali working so hard at pulling off the A&W labels so they can be replaced with the "special" Anderson Home Crafted ones.
Aden helping Anali with the task of adding the Rudolph noses. The finished product.....a fun little treat for all our friends.

"B" is for...Beginning

2007-12-22T16:33:00.000-06:00

So here is the beginning of our new blog. We are excited to share the happenings of our "basic" life. Updated posts to come on a weekly basis (hopefully).