Blast from the past

Tonight, as I was working on the computer, I put on Pandora and set it to The Sundays station. In that mix there was some of The Smiths, The Cure, and Radiohead. Then a friend commented and reminded me to include Depeche Mode in there. Then this morning as I began my commute, some Tripping Daisy was on the radio. It's just been a multitude of music from my high school years that have come flooding back in all in one day. It's reminded me of some great times....and great music.

Then earlier this week, Todd was asking if I ever had the opportunity, would I ever want to go back to my younger years. He began with high school, then junior high, and back to elementary. I pretty much said no to it all.

I really like where I am in life right now. Granted, I have made A TON of mistakes in life and would love to go back and redo every single one of those moments, but if I did, would it still have led me to where I am now? How would it have changed my future, if at all? I wouldn't want to change it because everything has led me to where I am now with my loving husband, wonderful children, my home, my calling, my testimony and faith, my job, my friends. It's just something I got to thinking about and made me appreciate it all - after a hard week at work. Although I may think I have it rough, I really have a wonderfully fulfilling life and have been so blessed, and continually blessed. I am loving where I am in life right now and wouldn't go back to any other year in my life because I'm living for the moment and the life I have now. It seems to be working, so why break a good thing, right?

I can't explain why....

I love this picture so much. I'll let you speculate why. If you're on to something, let me know b/c I certainly can't explain why.

Cleaning house, literally.

Purging never felt so good. Granted, I have tons more that needs to be done, but even just a little bit helps. Last week I went through the study. Today I continued the purging moving on to the pantry, laundry room, 2 bookshelves (both which will eventually be given away when I get a buffet for the dining room), 1 kitchen cabinet, and 1 shelving area under the stairs. I don't know when I'll do it again, but I still need to tackle the toy room (I think I'm putting this off because it will be a nightmare), the media chest, our bedroom (ugh, that will be horrible, too!), and the bathrooms. I will let Todd do the garage b/c it's all his junk in there.

At least this is a start, and that's all I can ask for. I at least feel a little bit better than I did yesterday just knowing that I unjunked (I know it's not a word, but decluttered doesn't seem to describe it well enough for me) the house a bit.

Here's to many more productive unjunking/organizing/cleaning days!

Really??

How do I say "no" to this?????

I need some answers.

Please, tell me. How does one go from this.....
















..............................to this?????


He's killin' me!

Back on the blogging bandwagon

.....for now.

I've been reprimanded by I don't know how many people about how I haven't updated my blog. Well to all those people - this blogs for you! ;)

Since it has been so long I don't think I can summarize my life in the past several months, so I'm not. Let me just talk about the here and now because honestly, that's probably all I can process right now. I find that I get duller with age. It's really sad when my 4 year old can run circles around me - intellectually. Hmm, I probably shouldn't be admitting this in a public forum, right? See, questionable intellect.

Life right now consists of Primary (I'm President! What was the Lord thinking?!.....I really don't mean that to be sacrilegious. I really want to know, "Lord, what were you thinking?"), last semester of school (good gracious!.....HALLELUJAH!), work (talk about busy, busy), and the fam (maintains my sanity......and at times breaks it).

I do have to say that I feel very overwhelmed a lot of the time, but somehow I make it through. I know that I get the all of it because of Todd's support and help but also know that the Lord is watching over me and gives me the strength and energy I need to do all I need to. It may not be perfect, but it's as perfect as I am going to get. I hope that's good enough because that's all I can do for now.

Maybe when life settles down (insert hysterical laugh of disbelief here) then I can refocus on everything else that needs the attention. Until then, I'll just scrape by as best as possible.

On a side note - I have been trying to find curtains for the living room, kitchen, and study. Do you know how hard this is???? I have looked at Pottery Barn, Target, Walmart, Homegoods, Ross, TJMaxx, Restoration Hardware, Crate and Barrel, Ballard Design, Bed Bath and Beyond, JCPenney, Macy's, Dillards, Overstock, Amazon. You know what I've found? A big, fat, honkin' squat. I have come to the conclusion that I am going to have to make them. Unless you have a better idea....if so, PLEASE TELL ME!!!! I would love you forever if I didn't have to make them.

Our first trip

Todd and I just returned from our first trip together - just us and no kids. This is the first trip we have taken alone together since before we had Kayden.

It was weird but nice. It was nice to just get away and enjoy each other's company and not have to worry about naps, diapers, chicken fingers for lunch, last minute potty runs. It was us time - a chance for us to do what we wanted and to reconnect.

We decided to visit North Carolina. It was my first visit there and it was beautiful - hot but beautiful.

We started our trip with a baseball game to the Greensboro Grasshoppers to watch Curtis Petersen pitch. It was so great! We miss watching him so this was a lot of fun.We spent all day Friday in Greensboro, watched another Grasshoppers game which was great because they beat the Virginia Power 8-3 (or something great like that).

Saturday was spent in going here for NC style BBQ and then running over to Chapel Hill to tour here. It was so amazingly beautiful. I would move to Chapel Hill in a heartbeat! Saturday night included a dinner including the best steak I've ever had and then finishing the night off at the Durham Performing Arts Center to watch a contemporary dance show. It was interesting.

Sunday was breakfast with Curtis, catching a movie and then heading out to Austin for the best BBQ ever. We loved it so much we're going back...but also just to hang in Austin because it's one of my favorite cities.

After being gone so long, it was great to return to these faces....although, they weren't really phased by the fact that we were gone.

Vices

photo via here

What is it about this product that has such a hold on me? Prior to Kayden, I was doing so good. No caffeine but even better, no carbonation. Also mixed in there was no fried foods. By my standards, I was doing REALLY well. Along comes Kayden and it all went out the door. Nearly 4 years later and I'm still battling my love of DP.

About 3 weeks ago I decided to give it up (shiver) - cold turkey. Surprisingly, it's not as hard as I thought it would be, but sometimes I just feel the need for a DP. Or, a DP is just necessary to round out the meal, but alas, I cannot.

Today, I fell off the bandwagon. (Hello, my name is Leslie Anderson and I'm a DP-aholic). It was a valid reason though (a headache that wouldn't go away even with 3 Advil, which I usually don't take, and I needed to function for work) and now I am once again on the bandwagon. But let me tell you, today's DP was HEAVENLY. I have no idea why it draws me in and calls to me, but it does. As Todd puts it, it's the nectar of the gods.....and it's oh so good. Those 23 flavors are deeeeelightful.

It's official

It's official: Kayden will be starting pre-school in the Fall. I'm excited and sad at the same time. It's exciting that he'll finally be attending something that provides him formal learning, structure, and socialization. I'm sad though that he's old enough to be in pre-school. He turns 4 in September and I just can't believe it. Time has flown by. I can remember going to the hospital to have my c-section and then seeing him for the first time, like it was yesterday. Well, it's good. I just have to keep telling myself that, plus, I think he's somewhat excited about going to school. We'll see how much he likes it once he's actually in it. His tune may change.

Now that's hot!

We went out this morning to run errands. It was about 1015a or 1030a. Okay, not all that late in the day or anything but it was sweltering! I know it's Texas and it's June, but it was nearly unbearable. As the day progressed, of course, it only got worse. Apparently, we'll need some time in the water this summer. It's a good thing we enrolled both boys in swim lessons - they start next week. Bryce has no idea what he's in for.....hope it goes well. Or perhaps, maybe I have no idea what I'm in for.

Making a comeback?

Perhaps....I'm not sure yet. We'll see. I know I still have a blog. I think that's monumental enough for me.
I have no clue how long it's been since an update so I figured I would and even post some pics! I know, a blog post and pics.....what a treat! Okay, okay. So maybe that's a little much but to me, it's a lot. I can't keep up these days!

So, just an update:
Bryce: he's walking, running, into everything, doesn't like to sit in order to eat, doesn't like to be told "no" and will often ignore you when you are telling him something he doesn't want to hear (which is basically anytime you open your mouth to say something to him), he loves, loves, LOVES his older brother and loves playing with him, adores stuffed animals and loves to give them kisses and snuggle them until he gets bored with it in 5 seconds and moves on to the next thing that's flashy and catches his eye, he says "hot", "mama", "da" for daddy, "ball", "stop" which comes out as "ta". He loves to give open mouth kisses and blows kisses and says "mwah" as he gives them. Super. Cute. He is a complete handful but we love him so much.

Kayden: loves to read books, loves to watch "carwash movies" on youtube (he has always had a love for carwashes. not sure where this came from but he loves to watch them, go through them, draw them, talk about them. yeah, random. we know), loves to play with his little brother but no where near as much as his little brother loves to play with him, he loves mowing the lawn with daddy, loves to swim, ride his bike, and jump on the trampoline. He is a great helper and is full of hugs and kisses - if you catch him in a good mood. He's becoming more social and is coming out of his shell. He now goes to the park and rides on the swings and slides down slides. It's been years in the making...but he's finally gotten to that point where he's not afraid to do that or play in the play gyms at McDonald's/Chick-Fil-A/etc. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing...but it's a thing so we're proud of him for it.

Todd: He's a stay at home dad. Everyone always asks me how he's doing with it. I always reply that he's doing a great job and they boys A-D-O-R-E having him home with them but I'm not sure how pleased he is with it. I should probably ask him someday, eh? All in all, I think he's good though. I do know he would much rather be in the workforce, but I think that he's also enjoying the time he has to not have to worry about going to work a professional job everyday. He's still in the EQ at church and enjoying that. He got his riding lawn mower that he's been wanting for years and is loving that. I do admit, I love it to b/c the yard is now mowed every week and is done in 30 minutes (front and back). Goodbye 3 hours of yard work and/or paying a lawn guy to do it.

Me: I'm still working and bringin' home the bacon. Although I would love to be at home with the kids, I know this is where I need to be and what I need to be doing. It's certainly not as bad as I thought, but I will say, there are some days I just want to leave work and go home and be with my boys, Todd included. I love my job and the people are work with but it's just not the same as my family. I'm still in the Primary Presidency and loving it. It is a lot of work but I work with ABSOLUTELY AMAZING gals who are able to do so much more than what I can and are very understanding when I can't give as much as I want nor as much as they do. They are the best!! I am very blessed to work with such amazing ladies. I'm finishing up school and should be done in the Spring. Somehow I'm able to do it all (work, family, church, and school). It certainly isn't easy but I know the Lord is with me every step of the way and is there as my support to help me through all this. Granted, I lose it every now and then, but overall, I think I'm put together pretty well. If anyone else thinks otherwise, please let me know and I'll get it back together again....as much as possible.

So....there you have it. The Anderson's in a nutshell.

So, on to more of what you're looking for.....PICS! Here you go and enjoy!

My little angel. Seriously, he is.

Look, they really do love each other!

Don't let this innocent look fool you. He's not. My little hellian. Oh, but how I love him!


Helping Todd mow the lawn. Okay, they're not mowing it here, but close enough.


They really are this sweet with each other.

Catch up

Where do I begin. So many things have happened since my last post......LAST YEAR! Yes, I have been a slacker blogger. BUT, I have a very valid excuse (in my head it's valid): L-I-F-E. Yes, believe it or not, life has gotten in the way.

Let's start with family:
We are all good. Everyone is healthy, for the most part. Everyone is happy and growing and busy. We went through a bought where I was sick. This last for quite some time - several weeks. It turned out it probably started out as a sinus infection then turned to an upper respiratory infection with bronchitis. Well, guess what. You got it, Todd, Bryce, and Kayden all got it. Fabulous, right?! We are now all on the mend....finally! But, then came Bryce's butt issues. His poor little bottom had a fierce rash which caused severe blisters for several days - a couple weeks probably. We fought with that and it finally cleared up but left scars on his bum. But with all that there has been other.....let's just say bowel issues. This has been going on since Christmas and is STILL going on. We've been working with our Dr about this and he is now recommending we see a pedi GI. That appointment is next week. I'm curious to see what they say/examine/do/etc. I just would like it all to be cured and life back to normal - whatever that is.
Todd is doing well. Last year Southwest offered an early retirement opportunity for employees and after much prayer and fasting last year, we decided it was his time to separate and move on from the company and I would stay. That choice was back in July with a separation date of 12/31/09. Obviously, that day has come and gone. Since then, Todd has been home with the kiddos as a stay at home dad. He's not enjoying it but not because he doesn't enjoy all this great bonding time with the boys but because he knows that's what I want. Even though this is not his calling in life, I will say, he does a great job and I'm glad he's able to spend this time with them. I will tell you now, before this the boys loved him. Now, they ADORE him. I'm especially glad for this time he has had to bond with Bryce. It's really helped them to form a bond and grow closer - which is good for the both of them.

Work:
This definitely consumes much of my time. Work has been very busy and hectic and did I mention busy? I'm by no mean complaining. It's a great job and great for job security but it certainly adds a stress to life.

Church:
I'm in the Primary Presidency in a HUGE Primary....okay, huge to me. I think we have 100+ kids (or at least 80+ kids) who consistency attend every Sunday. We definitely have our work cut out for us. I love working with the kids but it certainly takes a lot of effort. I know I could do soooooo much more and the others in the Presidency do, so I appreciate all the Sisters I work with because they are so wonderfully awesome.

I think that about sums it up. Sorry for the long post, but there's the update.

Well Hello There

Hello blogosphere. Let me reintroduce myself. I'm the supposed sole contributor to this blog. Perhaps you've forgotten me because I've neglected you for several months. Please don't take it personally, I just have other things that have been occupying my time. The good news though: I've recommitted myself to you....and other things. I can't promise how much attention you'll receive, but at least it will be more than nothing. I hope you can understand. All in time our relationship will once again be what it was.

Pictures

Hmmm....I'm beginning to notice I'm a horrible picture post-er. I need to get better at that. My problem has 2 root causes.

1. I don't take as many pics now because I don't have as much time on my hands as I used to. Shocking.
2. I've somewhat reverted back to 35mm because if I do all digital, I know I won't get them printed. Proof of this: I STILL have digital pics of Kayden I need to print from his 1st week in the world. Yeah, seriously.....HIS 1ST WEEK ALIVE, people! I have issues: Hi, my name is Leslie and I have a printing problem.

So, I need to make a resolution to print my digital pics AND to post more pics on the blog. Not sure when I'll make that resolution, but at least I've identified I have a problem, right? That's always the first step for progress, so I'd say I'm heading the right direction. I just don't know how quickly I'll get to my destination, is the problem.

Christmas

I know, I know....it's not even Thanksgiving! I can't help it. Christmas is my all time favorite holiday of the year. Thanksgiving is a close 2nd, but Christmas just takes the cake for me because of the Christmas spirit. People are more focused on Christ (although, that should be year round, but that's not for me to judge....so I'm not) and his birth. It's great family time, and just the all around feel in society is so much less self centered and focused on others- people think of others and show more love for one another.

I'm just excited for it to roll around. I'm excited because this will be Bryce's first Christmas with us here on earth. I'm excited because Kayden will appreciate and comprehend so much more this year than in years past. I'm excited because we, as a family, are doing homemade/service gifts this year to allow more love be placed in our gifts rather than focusing on how to support the retail industry. I'm excited because I can help teach my children the story of Christ's birth. I'm excited to help spread the Christmas cheer. I'm just excited....period.

So, Christmas.....ready or not, here I come! I'm ready, I just need to find a way to change the world so it's Christmas all year round.

Thoughts

It's been a long while since I last posted anything. Life has been hectic and crazy, more than usual. I'm just trying to keep up with it all.

Todd and Kayden just returned from a trip to Utah. It was just the two of them and Todd's mother, so Bryce and I sported some quality time together. Since my mother in law was gone - who watches the kids during the day - Bryce stayed with a friend during the day and she was FABULOUS!! It's the 1st time I have EVER had to leave one of my kids with someone other than family. I was nervous, and not because of who I left him with, but because I didn't know how Bryce would do, if he would cause too much trouble, or make it difficult for her to get things done, if we were imposing, etc. Well, it went great. I felt so confident in her abilities that I didn't have to worry throughout the day and when I went to pick him up at the end of the day, he was all smiles and happy as a clam.

It's strange, Kayden and Todd were only gone 4 days, but I have noticed that Kayden is a little different (aside from the fact that Todd buzzed his hair without saying anything/asking me). I think it's moreso how Kayden speaks more than anything, I can't quite put my finger on it, but there's something different about him. And it all happened in a short 4 days! Whatever it may be, I'm sure glad to have my boys back! Life just isn't the same without them and it's all better when we're all together as a family. It may be chaotic and hectic, but that's how we function and it works for us. It makes us all happy to be together and that's what's most important.

This blog entry is for you!....

...and you know who you are.

I received this message today: "The Lord wants you to update your blog, Fo' real." (No offense blog readers!). I thought this was hysterical!!

Picture this.......
It's a normal Friday afternoon at work. I'm working away doing my thing when I stop to take a break and check messages on my phone. I read this message and literally burst out laughing (mind you, the office today is eerily quiet). Luckily, no one was really around.

So, for you.....consider this your update! :P

Love you bunches!
(okay, but I will update my blog soon with a real blog entry)

Blessings

On Wednesday, we had a department teambuilding event, which we do annually. It's usually a 3 day event, but this year, we cut it down to 1 and focused on serving. We spent the day at the North Texas Food Bank volunteering our time to help create meal boxes for families, snack bags for children, sort cans, and many other various tasks that I'm not even aware of.

This was an experience like no other. Not because I felt good about giving back to the community, but because I learned just how ignorant I am and what the need is in the community. I knew there were people out there who needed assistance and the Food Bank provides them the help and support they need. What I didn't know about were the facts they shared about how many people they are able to help and who they help. It was shocking and so heartwarming at the same time.

Did you know:
*The North Texas Food Bank serves 13 DFW counties?
*A $1 donation is able to feed 4 people?
*40% of the households served by NTFB feeding programs have at least one employed adult?
*81% of the households served by feeding programs are “food insecure”?
*Amongst NTFB clients, 51% must choose between food or paying utilities; 46% must choose between food or paying for housing; 39% must choose between food, medications, or medical care?
*Each month Member Agency food pantries distribute food to more than 64,000 families and provides more than 540,000 meals and snacks through on-site feeding programs?

These are just a few facts, but there's so much more. I encourage you to take the time and visit their site to learn more. I have learned what I need to do in order to make a difference.

Please visit their site http://ntfb.org/index.cfm to learn more and see how you can make a difference.

Growing up

Bryce is growing up. He's moving on to rice cereal. Todd wanted to try it a few weeks ago. We did. Bryce spit it out. I wanted to get him full last night because he seems to be hungry at 4a, so I tried again. Lo and behold....he ate it and did REALLY well. No spitting it out, good use of the tongue to swallow the rice cereal, no horrible faces, it was all good.

Way to go "Ricey"! We love that you're growing but so sad you're growing, too.

My baby.....

is a baby no more. :(

My sweet Kayden is 3! To my sweetest little boy. My boy who refers to himself in third person, the boy who loves to run around without his pants off but prefers to be buck naked, the boy who loves to cover himself in baby powder till he's baby powder white, the boy who loves to give me long kisses, the boy who is sure to thank Heavenly Father for Mommy, Daddy, Kayden and Ricey every night in his prayers. The boy who teaches me that no matter what, you should love one another unconditionally. The boy who brings such a smile to my face and makes my heart melt.

This boy is 3. Oh how I love him.

Happy birthday sweet, sweet, Kayden!