But Not Quite

After spending two weeks doing....what did I do? Oh, that's right. Trevor and Ryan took turns with a virus that lasted three days each and included a fever and other things I'll choose not to mention.

So, I decided to make a July post not about the "almost perfect" things that do happen in our home, but a few of the "not quite" things that have happened to us this month.

Look at those innocent blue eyes. Yes, you would probably make the same mistake I did. While sitting at the computer you hear what sounded like coloring on the wall behind you, you turn and see an innocent little blue eyed baby just playing with a car in the windowsill running it back and forth (the car that's in his right hand in the picture). After three or four times of turning around to make sure it is only a car, you realize that there is indeed red crayon all over the wall and windowsill, and the car was only an alibi so that he could color with a red crayon with his left hand! Yes, I am not only in for it, I'm in it...24-7.

Ellie and Ryan are enjoying the summer reading program at the library. This is a picture of their third prize this last Monday. Shortly after taking this picture our camera got lost at the library (Trevor kept pulling it out of my purse and walking around with it, and when we got out to the car it was nowhere to be found. We searched the library the next day and kept pestering people who worked there about it. I seriously prayed that if someone had found it and taken it home that they would feel guilty and turn it in....

How would you like to wake up in the morning and find your eye looking like this! Yikes! It lasted two days, and really was a sight. Poor girl, it must have been a bug bite, it wasn't an infection or an allergy. No fun, she was a good sport though. She even said she had wished to wake up with her eye swollen, and then it happened! That's our Ellie.

When we went bowling for family night I asked a passing chap to take a picture of all of us in our bowling shoes.....can you see anybodies shoes?

I shouldn't have put mine back on for the picture I guess. :)

AMAZINGLY, all these things have happy endings!

The crayon came off (love that magic eraser!), Ellie's eye and the boys got better, the camera was turned in, and we have a funny story instead of a picture with funny shoes. Ah, 'tis life.

A Baa and a Moo at the Petting Zoo

July 10th we joined the ward play group for an outing at the petting zoo.

Our friends the Rigby's rode in our car with us, and although we had quite the adventure finding the place (have you ever heard of a Michigan left? Ask me about it, and then I'll know you actually read all this stuff I write... :) we got our exercise in for the day and finally made it.

Ryan is my animal lover. He LOVES books and movies about animals. The other night he was half asleep in his bed, I had sang him a song and was tiptoeing out and he said, "Mom, Mom...what do baby buffalo's do? Do they have hair? What do they eat?"

He was in heaven at the petting zoo. He ran from cage to cage, and would come over with his eyebrows so high they mixed in with his hairline and he would say excitedly, "Mom you have to come see this baby bunny, you have to!" He loved it! He keeps asking to go back.

Ellie and Trevor loved it too. Especially singing "Old McDonald" on the hay ride.

We are loving our ward, thanks for planning such a fun play group.

Let's do it again soon, eh?

A Grand Old Holiday

Our Fourth of July celebration began the day before when we had 3 of 4 of our friends the Whites kids (Katie, 7 Jake, 6 and Anna, 4) over to play. We played school and marched around singing fourth of July songs with flags and stuff. Then we made these fun Fourth of July hats to get ready for the big day.

Of course Trevor loved it because he got to wear a "hat!"

Fourth of July morning Daddy had to round at the hospital, but he was back in time for breakfast and helping set up for the Ward Picnic (Lolly's on the activities committee).

The Picnic was a blast.

Bounce house (I wish my house had padded walls!)

Sack Races (for the adults and kids. Ellie took third place (or so she says) and Lolly took home second place in the Women's race... and a bruised toe).

Tug-of-War, and lots of yummy food of course.

Then after Trevor's nap, we headed over for a barbeque at the White's house. They were kind enough to invite over all three of the new "med school" families. All three of us, the Rigby's and Salmon's, came here after graduating from Midwestern in Arizona. It is very nice to have friends already, we love you guys. :)

Ryan and Anna are two peas in a pod. They are best friends (and even fiance's, but we're trying not to encourage that idea just yet).

Trevor loved walking around and waving flags with Cali Salmon. She is such a doll, and we think he's pretty handsome too.

We had relay races and all the kids tackled Ryan Rigby on the tramp!

The relay kids earned "binky's" (ring pops) and loved more yummy food and treats...mmm I love holidays.

Then we had our stupendous Fourth of July firework and sparkler extravaganza!

The kids watched from the trampoline, which worked perfect because they couldn't get too close and they could express all their excitement by jumping!

We were grateful our Daddy Rob got to be a part of all the festivities as he was on call and got called in to the hospital on our way home from the barbeque. He was called in three times his first weekend on call! Gratefully, he will only be on call one weekend a month.

We are grateful for the freedoms we enjoy in our country, and for the opportunity we had to celebrate it.

USA ALL THE WAY!

Anderson Family Reunion in Old Nauvoo

While our daddy had to stay in Michigan and go to orientation meetings at the hospital and finish up painting projects, Lolly mom and the kids loaded up the vanster and headed to a reunion with the family in Nauvoo.

This is my attempt at a picture with my kids in the visitors center.

Trevor and Katie Jane both have a scrunchy nose cheeser face!

Our first night in Nauvoo we went to see the "Sunset on the Mississippi" show which began all the kids making hats and marching with instruments in a parade across the stage. They loved it!

Cousins and cousins! The cousins loved being together.

Especially Ellie and Heidi who are only six months apart. They held hands and stayed side by side the whole time. We loved watching them girl chat, and swing opposite directions so they could smile at each other. They were precious.

The reason we all met in Nauvoo was because my little brother (who is now taller than me) Nate is a performing missionary as the drummer for the Nauvoo Brass Band for the summer.

We loved seeing Uncle Nate Dawg...I mean Elder Anderson. He looked great, and is loving his experience in Nauvoo. He also just got his full-time mission call to Korea, and will leave in September! Way to go Uncle Elder Nate Dawg Anderson. We're proud of you!

We enjoyed beautiful weather while we were there, and loved all the gardens and huge grassy fields! My favorite was the women's garden by the visitor's center.

They have statues of a woman through all the stages in her life, and when you push different buttons you hear beautiful music and quotes about the great influence women can have in their families for generations. When I'm having a hard day I'll picture myself in that peaceful garden. I wanted a picture with my Ellie daughter in that beautiful garden. I do love being a woman...most of the time. :)

Ryan loves pairing off with different cousins. Annie if he wanted to be Prince Charming, and Brigham if wanted to play lasers.

Most of my time was spent keeping track of Trevor and keeping him alive! He loved the adventure, and especially loved all the animals and all the other "babies." (I love how he calls them baby and doesn't realize that he's a baby too).

COUINS AND COOKIES!

Need I say more?

We loved touring the houses, brickyard, bakery, and especially our private tour given by Elder Anderson of the blacksmith shop.

We were able to see the small church they met in.

And, on Monday we took the whole crew on a three mile handcart trek in full pioneer get-up! (This isn't me in this picture, it's my little look-a-like sister Jena- the ox she was so tough on the trek! You go girl). All the little kids loved riding in the handcarts and pretending to be pioneers.

And of course taking time to find sticks and dodge cow pies.

Trevor had a nice, long nap face down in the handcart!

(That's his hat on the right).

We enjoyed all the shows the performing missionaries put on!

We were also able to go over and see the Carthage Jail where Joseph Smith was martyred. It was a wonderful experience. I know he was a prophet and that he gave himself up to seal his testimony of the great work he performed on this earth.

We were also able to go on a wagon ride, see the gorgoeus Nauvoo temple, spend a whole afternoon playing pioneer games and in the little log cabins they had for the kids to play in, go swimming at Nauvoo Inn and Suites where we stayed, go to the park for dinner, have a private show from the Nauvoo Brass band while we had lunch, play catch on the fields, enjoy meals together, and even play games too! (My camera ran out of memory really quickly so I don't have picture of everything, so I videoed a lot of things. I'm hoping to get copies of everyone elses pictures...).

Thank you to my family for all your help so that I could be a part of the reunion! It truly was a wonderful experience, and it was good to see you all!