Oh, to be a kid again!

Whether you've been there yourself, or just witnessed your child, I think we can all relate in one way or another!


Looks like Santa could use a haircut... or a bigger head!


Wow! He was even scary back then?


I don't think mom intended to be in this picture.


This guy doesn't even look like Santa! And what is he starring at anyway?


Where did Billy go?


What is this dude's deal? He's probably using the Santa suit as a disguise. That look in his eyes just screams serial killer.


Looks like this Santa had a few too many drinks before his 3:00 shift.


Can we say hypnotized? Creepy.


This one's my favorite. Between the excessive eye make-up and the look of horror on this poor kid's face, it's just priceless!


Holy cow! This one's the scariest by far! He must be Serial killer Santa's accomplice. Or maybe he's just an angry elf dressed in a Santa costume. Kinda has that look about him.


And last but not least - my sweet (and terrified) Chloe! Clearly she wasn't fond of Santa last year, and because her picture blended so well with the rest of these, I couldn't help but throw it in. We'll see how she does Friday when she and Santa meet again!

Christmas music

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Christmas music! I've been playing it in the car and at home almost non-stop since we got back from Utah. If Neil would let me, I'd probably start playing it before Thanksgiving! :)

One of the beauties of music is its ability to bring back old memories. Just like the smell of a roast in the oven will forever remind me of my grandmother, a classic Christmas tune will always take me back to childhood Decembers.

I created a playlist of some of my favorites (what I could find on the internet anyway). Perhaps some of these tunes will take you back as well.

Merry Christmas!

Need a good laugh?

My friend, Liz, sent this to me just for fun. By the time I'd gotten through it, I had tears streaming down my face and a very sore stomach! Perhaps it'll give you a good laugh too! Be sure your volume is on.

I'm back!

Neil had "Three month school" in Orange County, CA last week (a follow-up on his IN training last April). Chloe and I decided it would be a more enjoyable week if spent in Salt Lake with my family than at home by ourselves. So all three of us (Neil, Chloe and I) packed our bags Monday morning and headed to DIA. Our flights left and returned within minutes of each other's, which made that portion of our travels very convenient!

The week flew by in a flash, but happy memories were created and will be remembered forever. Some of the hi-lights included Mom's ham and asparagus crepes, sushi with my brother, getting the Christmas tree up (courtesy of "Pompa" and Chloe), a trip to IKEA, Hires hamburgers, an afternoon with Wendy, lunch with my uncle and all my wonderful aunts (including my newest aunt, Diane!), an evening with my 91-year-old grandmother, late-into-the-night conversations with Dad and Mom, a crisp evening walk through Temple Square to see the Christmas lights, Cafe Rio (I tell ya, if they opened one here in CO, Neil and I alone would keep them in business), Grandma's apple pie, and to top it all off, a fresh blanket of snow on the ground to compliment the Christmas lights my dad so lovingly hung in time for our arrival.

We got home late Friday night and are slowly adjusting back to normal life. I was looking forward to a relaxing weekend, just the three of us, but since we've been home it's been non-stop go go go again! I did manage to finish all six loads of laundry yesterday. That was quite an accomplishment! If only there were such thing as a post-vacation vacation!

Chloe on the airplane - quite the adventure!!


Enjoying some Ahh Sushi with my favorite brother


Chloe with second-cousin, Chase (they are 16 days apart)


Chloe with her great-aunt Valeri, whom I was named after


Playing on the bed with "Mama" Jill


Chloe with "Pompa" Roy at his Bible study


Chloe "helping" trim the tree


Chloe visiting great-grandma Martha


All bundled up at Temple Square


Oh, if you're wondering where that lovely bruise between Chloe's eyes came from, she fell off the couch last Sunday and hit the coffee table on her way down. Great timing for our trip. I was getting looks at the airport Monday.

Gobble, gobble!

From our turkey to yours, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Reminiscing...

Exactly two years ago today at this very time, Neil, who was only hours away from becoming a father, took this picture.

It was six days prior to my due date. My doctor was preparing for a week-long hunting trip, and I was fearful I might go into labor before he returned. I was also miserable, naturally, and so when he offered to induce me early I jumped on it!

So many emotions were racing through my mind during the time of this picture. I was anxious to get the induction process started, terrified of all the potential unknowns, giddy at the thought of finally meeting the little wiggle worm I'd been carrying for nine months, overjoyed at knowing I was about to be a mom, ready to have my body back, and yet somehow sad at the same time that my pregnancy was rapidly coming to an end.

Along with marriage, motherhood has been the greatest and most challenging blessing in my life. And I just couldn't help but express some of the feelings I'm having today, as exactly two years ago, this new and unfamiliar stage marked its beginning.

Big Sister Prep Course

No, I'm not pregnant, though I'm quickly learning how anxious Chloe is to have a sibling.

Here's Chloe and Emme, my friend Dayna's little 7-week-old. Emme came over Tuesday afternoon, and Chloe was absolutely enthralled with her the ENTIRE ONE HOUR she was here.

She followed me everywhere I took Emme, constantly asking to hold her and/or "help". She cuddled, kissed, hugged, "soothed", patted, wiped her little mouth when Emme spit up, placed the binky in and out of her mouth hundreds of times (Emme really loved that), and wrapped her lovingly in her blanket.
If I even dared take Emme out of Chloe's sight or reach, I'd be fighting quite the battle. I was amazed at how intrigued she was by Emme, not just initially, but for the entire hour she was here! It was a very precious time for the two of us, and good preparation for the events to come.

Birthday festivities

This goes out to all of Chloe's little pals! If you're in the area, please join us Saturday. Your munchkins are sure to be worn out by the time we're through with them! :)

Make a slide show, scrapbook or ecard

If You Tell Chloe It's Bedtime...

Recently, when Chloe's bedtime has approached, I've been reminded of the children's book, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Here is a typical 8pm scenario in the Andersen household.





If you tell Chloe it's bedtime,
She's going to ask for one last drink of juice.
When you give her one last drink of juice,
She'll probably spot the leftover Halloween candy on the counter (which Mom clearly forgot to hide).
Once Mom has given in and let her have a piece of candy,
She'll ask for her mouth to be wiped clean.
Then, when she sees the washcloth that's just wiped her mouth, she'll suddenly decide she needs a bath!
On her way to the bathroom, she'll notice the pair of socks laying on the floor that she took off earlier that day.
So she'll probably ask Mom to help her put them on.
Then once she puts her socks on, she'll want to go find her shoes.
She'll find all of her shoes lined up in the closet, and want to try each pair on!
She might even get carried away and want to try on Mom's shoes too.
And she may even end up trying Dad's shoes on as well!
When she's done, she'll probably feel so exhausted that she'll ask to go to bed (can I hear a sigh of relief from Mom?).
Mom will have to make sure she has both of her blankets (the one Grandma Jill made and the one Shannon made), as well as her hippo, doggie, bear, and baby (if any of these are forgotten, Mom is sure to hear about it).
She'll crawl into her crib, make herself comfortable, and confirm everything she normally sleeps with is indeed there.
She'll then probably ask you to read her some books.
So you'll read to her from her favorite ABC's book and when you get to the end, she'll want you to sing the ABC song to her.
When you start singing the ABC song to her, she'll get so excited she'll want you to sing it again. And again. And again.
She'll even try and sing it with you, and incorporate the numbers she knows into the song.
When the song has been sung 16 or so times, she'll want to move on to another book - this time, Jesus Wants Me For a Sunbeam.
When she sees a picture of the moon on the third page, she'll suddenly realize she hasn't said goodnight to the moon yet!
Which means she'll need to get back out of her crib, and into Mom's arms so they can go outside.
She and Mom will go outside, find the moon, blow kisses and say "Night night".
When they come back into the house, they'll pass the kitchen, which will remind her she could really use a snack!
So... after examining the pantry, she'll ask for some pretzels.
And chances are if she asks for some pretzels, she's going to want some juice to wash it down!

Not that I let her get away with this, but truly, if I did, this is what every night would be like!

Visit from Uncle D

Uncle David recently came to visit us. Chloe immediately fell in love with him and hardly left his side. It's now been over a week since he left, and she's still asking for him!


Uncle Jeff, looks like you have some competition!

Sick...

Neil caught a nasty bug last Thursday, and didn't waste any time sharing it with his girls. It hit me Friday afternoon, and Chloe Saturday night. I finally got my voice back yesterday, and though Chloe's cough is still bothering her, she no longer sounds like a barking seal! It's been quite an exhausting week to say the least. And I've learned a couple things:

1) Moms aren't allowed to get sick, ever. If they do, life goes on. Neil said to me Sunday, "Well you seem to be doing better", basing this on the fact that in the midst of caring for Chloe, I'd made very little mention of my own discomforts. In reality I felt like garbage, but I couldn't just drop everything, pop a NyQuil and head to bed. Like probably most children, when Chloe is sick, she wants Mom, and only Mom! No exceptions!

2) The greatest challenge of motherhood is watching your child(ren) endure pain. We've been really lucky with Chloe so far. She's never had an ear infection, only endured a couple mild bouts of this or that, and all things considered, handled teething and shots very well. So perhaps that explains why this caught me so off guard, ultimately resulting in a feeling of inadequacy as a mother. Chloe didn't say much Sunday or Monday, though on occasion I'd hear her faintly whisper "Please, Mommy. Please, Mommy." Talk about feeling helpless. Why not stab me in the heart a few more times!

Luckily the road to recovery has begun! Neil went back to work Tuesday, and yesterday I woke up actually wanting to pay bills and scrub my toilets! That is definitely a sign that this has gone on too long! Chloe is slowly coming around. I am hopeful that by this weekend this yucky bug is out of our systems completely. Being sick puppies is no fun!

Halloween

Chloe was an elephant this year for Halloween, though she would argue "elendent". Either way, she was quite the cutie in her gray and pink. It's a good thing her costume was so warm and toasty because we had 30 degree trick or treating weather.

Happy Birthday Chase!

Happy 2nd Birthday to Chase, my very best friend and cousin's sweet little boy! I still remember so vividly 2 years ago this morning when Wendy called me from the hospital to announce Chase was here. I was at work, unable to concentrate on anything due to the anticipation of that phone call! I was 16 days away from delivering Chloe, and I still remember, despite the physical discomforts I was experiencing, how much joy and comfort that phone call brought me. He was a miracle baby, after all! And that same joy has only increased over these 2 years, as I've watched Chase grow and develop into the boy he is today!

Happy Birthday little man!