Still alive...

Well, it's been a while, hasn't it!

I'm not even sure where to begin.  Life has changed just a touch since I last blogged.  Chloe finished first grade.  Neil sold his Jetta and got a company car.  Oh yeah, and we bought a house!  It's 11 miles East of Land Park (where we were for 10 months), putting us in an entirely different area of Sacramento, ward and school district.  Like I said, a touch of change.  It amazes me to think back to a year ago, when we still lived in Ripon and were awaiting word on Neil's job.  His company had just been bought out by Johnson & Johnson, which was resulting in major territory re-alignments nationwide.  To complicate matters more, Neil had been covering Sacramento's largest account for the past month due to the main guy up and quitting the day of the buyout, and it was looking more and more like Neil was going to be replacing this guy permanently.  Of course we couldn't say anything or act on the assumption until we received final word from management.  Our lives were basically on hold from the beginning of July to August 16th when Neil finally learned his fate.  It's amazing to reflect on the many changes that have taken place in this short year, and to compare where we were last July to where we are today.  In some ways it's felt like three blinks of an eye, and in others, an eternity.  I feel very mixed about all the changes, but have grown tremendously and know we are where we're supposed to be today.

Here are the kids in front of the new house.  

We signed papers June 7th, got keys the 11th or 12th (can't remember now), and officially moved in the 15th (day before Father's Day).  This picture was taken on Father's Day, just before we took our first neighborhood walk.  Ryan was still in his church clothes, while Chloe was much more comfortably dressed.  They make me smile.  Such honest little expressions.

We are slowly getting settled and filling empty spaces.  It's going to take time, but we are excited for the projects and challenges that lie ahead.  More later! 

Teeth and cucumbers

Chloe has been eyeing our two largest cucumbers for a week now, begging me to let her pick them.  Each day, though they've grown significantly both in length and width, I've felt that they could use more ripening.  Well, yesterday when we took a peek and noticed their monstrous size, I decided it was time.  The kids were delighted and each picked one, then proudly displayed them for a picture!

I didn't measure them, but I'm sure they exceeded 15 inches in length.  Despite the healthy size, however, I still worried that they weren't dark enough in color.  But I worried even more that if they got any larger, they'd start to split or rot.  Well, I got it wrong all the way around, unfortunately, because they were terribly bitter to the taste, at least a good 4 inches on either end.  I don't know if you've ever eaten a bitter cucumber, but trust me, it's very BAD!  I was sad, but thankful that the middle sections of each were fine.  Upon further research, it appears I let the cucumbers sit on the vine too long, hence the bitter taste.  Lesson learned!  This morning during our morning inspection, we picked 3 more cucumbers that were about half the size.  I just ate one and it was wonderful!
 

Here's another bit of exciting news from yesterday!  Chloe lost her second tooth!  This morning I snuck in her room while she slept to make sure the tooth fairy had paid her a visit.  Thankfully, she had.

And here's this morning's harvest! 

Every day I've had this garden I've learned something new. Yesterday's lesson? Don't let the cucumbers sit on the vine too long. Today's lesson? Our watermelons will likely need to be twice the size of the 13 inch baby above before they're ready. I didn't know how large they were supposed to be before harvesting because the little label/tag I stuck in the ground when I planted what was then 2 tiny stems has disappeared in the madness of my watermelon jungle. I don't even know what type of watermelons these are, again, because I can't find the tag, but since we literally have two dozen more (no exaggeration), I figured it wouldn't hurt to experiment with this one. I think after my experience yesterday with the cucumbers, I worried, too, that if I let the watermelons sit too long, they might have adverse events like the cucumbers did.  I lifted this watermelon off the ground, smelled it, knocked on it, and inspected it just as I inspect watermelons at the grocery store.   It appeared to possibly be ready, so I just figured why not and snapped it off the vine.  Well, upon cutting into it, I instantly knew my assumptions were premature, and that I should have let it bake for at least a week longer, and possibly more. It was completely white inside and flavorless. Oh well.  It still looks pretty sitting on the table with the rest of my garden goodies.  I read a few days ago that you shouldn't plant cucumber and watermelon next to each other because cucumber can give watermelon a funny taste. I surely hope this is incorrect, or that I'm just lucky because that's exactly what I did. Their vines have even intertwined. Again, I am learning something new every day.

The largest of the zucchinis exceed even the 11 inch one we discovered upon coming home from our Yosemite trip a couple weeks ago.  That's right.  This bad boy measured over 13 inches!  I would NOT have let it grow this large had I noticed it before today, but it just blended in so well with the rest of the plant that somehow I missed it until this morning.  It's a touch seedy on the inside, but not bad at all, thankfully.  I have more zucchini than I know what to do with, but have actually managed it pretty well.  I have several cups of shredded zucchini in my freezer ready for bread, spaghetti sauce or anything else.  And I'm trying to cook with it whenever I can.  It is so good for you, and I'm trying not to let ANY of it go to waste!

And the Andersen garden adventures, and, well, adventures in general, continue...

Chloe's first lost tooth!

On the 1st of May, Chloe had her 6-month teeth cleaning appointment, during which Dr. Shah showed Chloe an x-ray of her teeth.  These particular x-rays were really cool in that you could see one of her adult teeth sitting directly beneath her baby tooth.  Dr. Shah told Chloe that, based on this x-ray, it wouldn't be long before the baby tooth fell out, making way for the adult tooth.  Chloe was fascinated with this concept.  Several of her friends at school had already started losing teeth, and she had been asking for months when it was going to be her turn.  Now there was light at the end of the tunnel.  Upon leaving Dr. Shah's office that day, Chloe proceeded to announce to all who would hear her that she had an "almost loose tooth."  :)

Sometime between the night of June 24th and morning of June 25th, Chloe's tooth went from being "almost loose" to "loose."  She was thrilled to make this discovery, and spent a good part of the day sitting in front of the bathroom mirror wiggling said tooth back and forth.
 

Well, Sunday (the 8th) is when the monumental event finally took place.  As I was awakening from an afternoon nap (a rarity these days, but certainly one I earned after staying up late the night before preparing a church talk and then delivering it that morning), Neil came into our bedroom and said, "Looks like the tooth fairy will be making her first visit to our house tonight."  Apparently Chloe's tooth wasn't just loose, but barely hanging on.  In fact, we worried that she might lose it in her dinner, so Neil offered to pull it out before we ate.  Surprisingly, Chloe was happy to let him.  After all, this had been a long time comin', and she wasn't going to allow fear to stand in her way!
With little to no effort, Neil gave the tooth a gentle tug and out it came.  Chloe proudly held it in her hand, then ran to the nearest mirror to admire her new grin.
Sunday night she placed her tooth inside a ziploc bag and under her pillow.  The following morning, she was delighted to find, in its place, a dollar and a First Lost Tooth certificate.

She was and is still quite proud.  And she looks oh-so-cute with that little gap in her mouth.  Won't be long before there are plenty more.  The other night I asked her if she'd please stop growing, to which she defiantly replied, "But I HAVE to!  That's what we do!"  Love her.  Congrats, little miss!

Then and now

Today marks 1 month since our second attempt at a garden.  Read about our many adventures here.

It's crazy what California soil can do in a month's time.

Needless to say, we are not lacking in the growth department.  Zucchini is on the far left (left bed), then watermelon, then pumpkin and finally, cucumbers.  The cucumbers take a bit longer to establish themselves, but in another month the entire bed will be overflowing.  My tomatoes and basil have gone nuts, as well, and we have more jalapenos and anaheims than we know what to do with.

I also spotted our first zucchini yesterday, and look forward to many more in the coming weeks.

Tomorrow I am going to finish planting the ground cover around the second bed.   Then it's just a matter of waiting for production, and enjoying the view in the meantime.  Man, oh man, I love gardening!

Chloe's swimming adventures

Chloe tried out for the Ripon swim team back in March. The "tryouts" were more formality than anything, involving a simple lap across the pool to determine the kids' levels and capabilities. For the little ones who weren't quite to par, a swim camp was recommended. Chloe, who is a strong swimmer, had not been in the pool since last summer, nor had she been conditioned to swim laps, so she was naturally at a disadvantage. She did make it across the pool, but was all over the place in the process, and grew tired quickly. In the end, she was among those recommended for the swim camp, and completed it the following week with flying colors. She literally jumped for joy when, at the end of the camp, they informed her that she'd made the team, and immediately called Grandma Susie to announce the news. Susie helped coach the Saddlebrook Sea Horses for years, which is the team Neil and his siblings swam with growing up. Their pool sat within feet of their backyard, and naturally, as Susie still lives in the same house to this day, she continues to enjoy laps in that pool. Here are the cute Andersen kiddos in front of said pool in all their 1980s Sea Horse glory.

As the years passed, Jeff, Lori and Brad found passions elsewhere (gymnastics, diving and soccer - correct me if I'm wrong, sibs), but Neil kept up with swim and enjoyed it through high school. He has loved watching Chloe's passion for swimming blossom. She really does love it, as he did, and it's been a fun process watching the two of them get so excited.

So, back to TRYOUTS! {16 March 2012}
Despite the cold and wet weather, this little swimmer was ready to go!
Ryan was well-equipped for the rain.
A little stretching, a little pondering, and a lot of smiles.
Like I said, she was all over the place. But she made it!

FIRST PRACTICE {02 April 2012}
Do you like how the swim cap is on sideways? Yeah, that was my fault. I didn't know what the heck I was doing. But I quickly corrected myself. As for the ladybug, well, that's kind of a funny story. So my mom and I have this thing with ladybugs; always have. Don't really know how else to describe it. They've just always been special to us. And from the time Chloe was brand new she acquired the nickname "Chloebug." Since then, strangely, I have found that ladybugs appear, completely out of the blue, coincidentally on days when Chloe meets milestones or celebrates something special. I remember seeing one just after I'd dropped her off on her first day of kindergarten, spotted one on our front porch on her birthday (yes, in November!!!), plenty of other random times, and then, this - at her first swim practice as a Sea Lion - potentially her first of many! Funny little coincidence. Anyway, had to get a picture.

We corrected the swim cap mishap just in the nick of time...

TIME TRIALS {05 May 2012}
This was the day Neil and I discovered just what a time commitment (and wallet sucker) this whole summer swim team thing was going to be. Neil and Chloe arrived at Ripon High at 7:45am to get Chloe registered, then waited four hours and fifteen minutes before Chloe finally got to swim her first - yes, first - event: 25 backstroke. Unfortunately, the second event we'd signed her up for did not take place for another couple of hours, and we had committed to a church activity which was already a solid hour in, so we had to drop her from event #2 and split right after her first event. Thankfully she'd had enough, even though of the four and a half hours she'd spent there, she was only in the pool maybe 3 minutes.

Chatting with one of her coaches, just moments before her first ever race.
Cute little bum.

Getting ready... (she's on the far left in each above shot) Chloe's second from the right in these shots. She started out strong and ahead, but fell behind at the end. If I remember right this event had 2 heats, and she finished in fourth or fifth place (can't remember for sure now) with a 54.23 second time. It was so fun watching her out there. She really knew what she was doing and didn't once allow nerves to get to her.

SWIM-A-THON {14 May 2012}
What's a swim season without a swim-a-thon, right? Similar to her jog-a-thon, Chloe went through a variety of emotions during the hour she was in the pool. She started out strong and determined, but about 15 laps in, had almost had it. There were giggles and smiles, there were tears, there were bathroom breaks, and there were pep talks. In the end, Chloe completed 30 laps, and I was very proud of her.

She was a real trooper! And notice, in the bottom right picture (above), that she's the only one left in the pool? Yep, typical Chloe. Not the first time this has happened. The younger group swim-a-thon was over by this point, clearly, and the older group was preparing to start, but not until little miss decided to make her way out of the pool. At practices it's the same thing. She's always the last one out. She finds any excuse possible to stay in the water as long as she can. Funny kid.

And she just looked oh-so-cute after she got out, that I had to snap these shots. Such a little lady.

FIRST SWIM MEET {26 May 2012}

Chloe had her first meet this past weekend in Tracy. Nothing like spending your first Saturday of summer vacation up and at it at 6am, right? Thankfully, we'd packed up the car the night before. We arrived in Tracy just before 7am, found a spot to camp for the day, got Chloe registered, and settled ourselves in!

Comfy in their seats (complete with umbrellas).  I love how Chloe's swim cap and goggles are smooshing down her eyes.



You can see both Neil (green shirt and hat) and Chloe in the above shots. These were taken just before her 50 free. A funny thing happened during this event. Her dive was flawless (as you can see), streamline was great, kick was strong. She just forgot one thing: to use her arms. I was standing on one side of the pool while Neil stood on the other, chuckling simultaneously at our cute daughter who really did a 50 freestyle…kick.



Here's a video of her 25 yard backstroke.  Her time was 44.66, so a 10 second improvement from time trials!  It was SO bright that I couldn't see what I was recording and I was juggling Ryan in my arms at the same time, so bear with me.  Oh, and don't mind the morons who kept walking by.

So we were at the Tracy meet for 7 solid hours. Needless to say, by the time we left, we were ready for ice cream. Thankfully, we had a Cold Stone gift card that Uncle D had sent the kids for Easter. And, conveniently enough, there was a Cold Stone within blocks of where the meet took place!

As you can see, swimming has kept us quite busy! We are loving it though. I can't even explain how satisfying it is to see Chloe out there. It seems like 5 minutes ago she was an itty bitty baby, and yet here she is now, competing for ribbons! It really is amazing how quickly time passes.
Love you, my little sea lion!

Latter half of January: Kids' milestones, Neil's birthday and the Niners!

Since I never wrapped up the month of January, let me do so now.  Beginning with...

CHLOE, who learned about Martin Luther King, Jr...

And celebrated Chinese New Year...

As well as her 100th day of school!

As a homework assignment that week, each student was assigned to bring in 100 of something - anything - and present it in a creative way.  Chloe chose pennies, so we grabbed some wrapping paper and a shoe box and went to town.  She couldn't wait to show her teacher and classmates!

Chloe also read her first book from start to finish without any mistakes or assistance!

And she drew me this sweet picture.  Pretty much melted my heart. 

Chloe also earned "top of the class" on the 19th.
When I told her I was proud of her, she said, "Thanks. It was A LOT of work!"

And one night at dinner, she said,
"I tried the chicken and I just loved it so much that I'm gonna save it for last!"

Love her.

RYAN, who is growing to love legos like his sister, created this masterpiece...

Helped me in the kitchen...

Made vicious faces at himself in the mirror while jumping on the bed (with Josh)...

Disguised himself as "Super boy"...

And meant BUSINESS!

He looked so adorable in the crown given to him in Sunbeams one Sunday at church...

...that I had to take his picture.

Naturally, this prompted the transformation of sweet Ryan to tough Ryan.

It was nice while it lasted.

THE KIDS, as always, kept meal time entertaining...

And, speaking of food, had fun helping me make snacks for the 49ers/Saints game.

This is the grub we enjoyed while sweating through the game.

And, that same day, I received a text from my brother, containing this picture.

I got David this flag for his birthday and he waved it with pride for the first time, that day. Good luck? Perhaps.

Speaking of the 49ers and David, the following Friday, January 20th, I awoke to an email from him, which he'd sent at 4:47am, informing me that he had purchased a plane ticket to fly to CA the following day for the NFC Championship game and wondered if I might like to join him. :) He had been up all night searching around online for the perfect seats and the best deals, researching airfare, etc.  I still can't fully express the feelings I had as I sat there starring at my computer screen.  As the reality sunk in, first that my lifelong team, who hadn't had a decent season in nearly a decade was only a game away from the Superbowl, and second, that my brother was taking me to this historical event, I felt a range of emotions - all good.  David has always had such a thoughtful and sneaky way of doing special things for those he loves. I never expected this - never, ever - and was so thrilled, honored and humbled by his generosity.  And still, 2 months later, I'm pinching myself.

On Saturday, we all met up at Scott and Heather's in Pleasanton.  David and Debbie had flown into Oakland so it worked out perfectly.  And staying at Heather's Saturday night gave us a fairly easy commute to the city Sunday morning.  We had a great time with family, despite poor Heather having the flu.  She spent about 90% of the day in bed, but did come out to eat and visit with us for a short while.

Attempting roller skates with the help of dad...

Beep beep!

After dinner, David and I snuck out to grab Neil a birthday cake, and proceeded to surprise him and celebrate his special day, 3 days early. :)

Clearly we take life way too seriously...

I love how comfortable Chloe looks between "Uncle D" and Debbie, and how she's holding his arm.

Poor Heather.  She was in great spirits, as always, despite feeling miserable.

Here's Neil and me in our Niners gear.

Neil did not go to the game with us Sunday, so we made sure to grab a picture together Saturday night before he and the kids headed home.

Sunday morning was rainy and gross, and unfortunately the weather did not improve with the day. We still had an absolute blast though. It truly was one of the greatest experiences of my life going to that game.  It has been so long since the 49ers have been anything, and to go from nothing to something pretty significant in one short season was an exciting thing to see! And even though we lost to the Giants in the end (and really shouldn't have), I still felt a satisfying sense of pride standing there in the rain and cheering them on.  Coach Harbaugh lit a fire beneath the 49ers this season, and molded them into something amazing.  They accomplished great things, and will certainly be back next season with something to prove.  Can't wait to see what that is... 

Billboards we passed as we were exiting the freeway.  Welcome to San Francisco!

Standing in line with David, just outside Candlestick Park.

All four of us (David "Stuart," David "Mark," Debbie and me)

More pictures from my cell phone.  The one on the far left demonstrates but really doesn't give justice to the crazy rain pouring down on us.  It was a wet mess, to say the least.  But I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat.

David found us awesome seats pretty much right at mid-field so we had a perfect view. 

Goldrush Cheerleaders! 

What a moment.  The pictures do no justice...

Again, no justice. Exploding fireworks, screaming crowds, pouring rain, pure awesomeness...

The field-sized American flag...

Incredible... USA!!!

Taken during halftime, when it was still any one's game.

Among the many awesome experiences of this day, I also had my self-esteem boosted, not once, but twice, by two complete strangers.  To a degree I hesitate to include this because I don't want to come across as arrogant, as I am quite the opposite.  But inevitably there are going to be days in the future when I'll need that reminder that I still got it, so I'm just gonna go ahead and share.  :)  First, while standing in line to get some food, the cashier was having trouble swiping my debit card.  He kept saying it wouldn't take, and even tried my credit card as a last resort.  It turned out he was swiping both cards the wrong direction, but that's beside the point.  Anyway, during this somewhat uncomfortable process, the guy standing next to me in line, who without hesitation had struck up a friendly conversation asking who I was, where I was from, etc, etc, etc, saw what was happening and practically insisted on paying for my food, saying something like, "a pretty girl like you doesn't need to go hungry," or something to that effect.  Thankfully, the cashier discovered the problem and finally got my card to take.  With that, I kindly declined the nice guy's offer, thanked him and walked away.

Then, just as the third quarter kicked off, I was walking back to my seat and some random guy, who was standing close by and starring me right in the face nonchalantly and in somewhat of a dreamy tone, said, "Wow.  You must be the most beautiful girl in this entire stadium."  !!!  Uhh, what?!  Are you talking to me?  Me?  The mom of 2 kids?  Who just turned 30!?  Who's standing here in this miserable, wet rain, with my hair soaked and mascara most likely running down my face?  Who's wearing layers and layers of clothing, not to mention this awesome rain poncho?  Really?  Me?!!  I was so touched by his compliment, and by the direct and honest manner in which he delivered it.  And hey, maybe he'd just had a few too many beers and was telling every girl he happened upon the very same thing.  But I don't know that he didn't do that, and either way, it made me feel really good.  I thanked him profusely and continued to my seat.

I don't go to great lengths these days to do my hair and makeup every time I leave the house, I certainly don't dress to impress, and let's face it, things aren't exactly what and where they used to be.  So it's nice to be reminded, even though it's not often, that I still have the ability to turn a head.  :)

I love football and I love 49er football. It is so awesome having been a fan my entire life, and to once again (after 10 years) be living within 80 miles of their home turf. I love driving around and seeing 49ers license plate holders, random strangers wearing 49ers gear, and having 49ers merchandise and apparel right within my fingertips.  Shoot, I got the shirts Neil and I were wearing in the above picture at Target!  I also remember walking into Old Navy last August to this display in the front of the store.

Don't mind Ryan there in the center.  He wanted to be in the picture too.

Those mannequins sure are creepy, but it warmed my heart to see all that red and gold!  Sometimes it just hits me that I'm living in California again.

GO NINERS!!!


So January was a good month.  Lots of fun times had and memories made.  Thanks again, David, for the awesome experience!  And Happy 33rd Birthday to Neil!!