Wintertime

Oh, what do you do in the wintertime???  Well, around here, we do manage to stay busy!
We were finally able to finish celebrating Jordan's birthday (when everyone got healthy!) with a bowling party!

And she finally got to wear her birthday outfit to church!

We have been playing A LOT of basketball!  Regan played for her first time:

Jordan played on the 3rd grade Wildcat team.

Hanging out with friends at tournaments is so much fun!

I have been coaching Ashton's 5th grade team- what a workout for a pregnant woman.  I have done a lot of coaching from a seated position!

Regan lost her first tooth- SO exciting and a reminder that she is growing up fast!

Cole tried to sneak in as much playing time on the DS as possible!

And he dressed up a few times too!

We had a fun time at Activity Days learning about manners with a Valentine Tea.

This baby is growing and growing...only about 8 weeks left now!  Can I make it for that much more time?  I don't have much of a choice...but I am looking forward to having this little guy here!!!

Happy 9th Birthday!

Jordan is 9 years old today!  After some warmer weather last week, we woke up to some bitter, cold temperatures and snow!!!  Pretty typical for January birthdays in Iowa.  So Jordan has already learned a big lesson for a 9 year old....things don't always go as you plan or want them to go.  That is such a big lesson that comes up over and over again in life.  Like me, Jordan is a planner and we had some big birthday plans for the weekend...then the little kids got sick mid week....when I picked Jordan up from school on Friday for a birthday lunch, she burst into tears and said she wasn't feeling good...sure enough she had the dreaded fever and flu.  (This picture was right before she told me she was sick!)

So we had to postpone her birthday party, cancel Tod's family coming and instead, take care of some very sick kiddos!  She's been a little sad, but we've still managed to celebrate (she got a new desk for her room) and have both practiced "looking on the bright side of things." (A good reminder for me!)  One bright spot, her basketball team was in a tournament yesterday and she was soooo disappointed not to be able to go.  She spent the day in bed...then her sweet coach called to check on her and just let her know they had some afternoon games and were short on players.  Jordan said, "Mom, I want to try to go!"  She pulled herself out of bed and went (I took her because my stubborn streak would have caused me to do the same thing!)  Her team ended up taking 2nd place...she tried so hard and I know it was a huge effort for her.  She came home and collapsed into bed clutching her trophy!

 Not the way you really want to feel on your birthday, but we managed to get a few smiles!

I love this girl so much for all that she adds to my life and to our family!
Nine things about Jordan at age 9:
1.  She is so organized and responsible.  From keeping her bedroom clean to her school work, I never have to worry about her getting things done or doing things right.  What a blessing for me.

2.  She is so good and patient with little kids and they just love her.  All the kids at church and in the neighborhood are always looking for Jordan.  She can get Regan and Cole to do just about anything.  Sometimes when my patience is gone, she will just step in and take over with them.  It is amazing.
3.  Jordan is motivated to improve- recently, she set a goal to read scriptures every night and to see her follow through with that is so neat.  She also works so hard to get better at the different sports she plays.
4.  Jordan loves to play school.  She has tons of school supplies and teaching things...she will spend hours in her room with her pretend class demonstrating all the latest teaching techniques.  She has recently taught Regan to read!
5.  She has a calming effect on our family.  She is such a good sister to Ashton who has the tendency to worry.  Many times I will hear her quietly reassuring Ashton that something will work out or that things will be okay.
6.  Jordan is so helpful to me.  She is seriously my second hand man.  She will do pretty much anything I ask her to do- from planning Family Home Evening to cleaning a room or baking brownies.  I appreciate it so much.
7.  She is developing a testimony of the Gospel.  Recently, she shared this experience with me- she told me she fasted to know the truth of Joseph Smith's First Vision.  When she went to church, her primary lesson was on this exact thing.  Many of her questions were answered and her testimony grew.
8.  She loves fashion!  She always puts together fabulous outfits complete with accessories and everything.
9.  Jordan is her own person.  She isn't really swayed by what others think or say or do.  She makes decisions and sticks with them.  She knows what she likes and wants and goes after it.  I hope this quality will always stay with her.
Happy Birthday Beans!

Christmas Day

A day full of laughing, yummy food, playing together and good memories!

(Cole was still having a hard time waking up!)
Lots of fun surprises!

Merry Christmas to All!

Looking Back at Christmas Eve

We had a very nice, slow-paced, relaxing Christmas break.  It was just what we all needed!  The kids had several weeks off from school and Tod was off of work.  We were able to get lots of things done around the house- including getting the downstairs room painted and girls moved down there in preparation for making another baby room upstairs!  We really, really enjoyed just being together and not having anything that had to be done!
Some pictures and memories from Christmas Eve:

We decided this year to adopt one of the favorite Anderson Christmas Eve traditions.  During my teenage years, we would go to Salt Lake City and enjoy lunch at Crown Burger...no Crown Burger here in Iowa, so we had to settle for Burger King.  It is a rare treat to have everyone go out to lunch and it was very fun!

Next up, the kids spent some time in the snow.

And then we got ready to go to our friends' house for our annual Christmas Eve gathering.  I love this tradition.  Our friends invite many families to their home who didn't go "home" for Christmas.  We eat and talk and play games...and even though we are not technically related, it feels like a big happy family gathering and makes missing our extended families a little less painful.  Before we head to the gathering, we always take a picture in front of the Christmas tree using the self-timer.

When we finally made it home again after our fun-filled evening, we had to open some new pajamas.

And this year we had decided to do the sibling gift exchange on Christmas Eve so that it didn't get lost in the shuffle.  I loved it!  It is so wonderful to see the kids get SO excited for what they are GIVING.  They could not wait to see what their special someone had picked out for them!  And I had so much fun taking each of them shopping to pick gifts.
Jordan gave Cole a Cardinals hat and Nerf gun:

Then Ashton gave Regan a Princess Baby Doll and Friends Legos:

And Regan gave Jordan a mosaic kit and school supplies for playing school:

And finally, Cole gave Ashton a stuffed puppy and art supplies.  He had told her numerous times what he had gotten for her, but she was still a good sport and acted surprised!

Everyone went to bed happy and SO excited for the next morning!  I'll try to get some Christmas pictures posted next.