Co-Ed Softball

For years Andrew has been asking me to play in a league with him and I have allowed my anxiety to get the best of me. In high school I would freak out on the bus rides to our games, trying to think of reasons why I couldn't play that day. I have always enjoyed playing, but I do stress out so much. I HATE letting people down - I hate the idea of them going home and talking about my errors. So I don't play nearly as much as I would like to - pretty lame I know.

Well two weeks ago, with the promise of an hour massage, I agreed to play. It's not an intimidating league or team, and so it was nice. I say nice because I was still nervous, but it was ok enough that I agreed to play last night too. Last night didn't go as well - but I blame the pitcher for that. Jackson didn't play - but he looked cute trying!

Happy Birthday Grandpa! (ON MONDAY)

Jackson got Grandpa swimtrunks so they can go swimming together this Summer.
Amazingly, we were all able to go our to dinner to celebrate Dad's birthday. This is a first in years!!
I think he's pretty pleased about it - not about the dessert because he wasn't even the one to enjoy it...
Jackson LOVED celebrating grandpa's birthday!

Different Approaches

Photo By: Jackson Anderson
Photos By: Rachel Anderson

Doctor's Office

While waiting for Ryan to be called in to the office, Jackson decided to pull up a chair to watch the Fishy's. He was enjoying himself until this little girl and her mom got in his way :( I only wish I got a picture before they showed up - too slow!

Golfing With Wes

The two men above, my dad and Andrew, decided to go out late for a round of golf yesterday afternoon. Considering they were going to a simple, cheap course, I tagged along and brought Wes in a way.
Those are Wes' clubs I am using! There are many mixed emotions on the golf course since Wes has been gone. He and Andrew shared such a passion out there and the last time I golfed was with Wes. I kept thinking I needed to be careful with his clubs so he wouldn't get mad at me. Not that Wes EVER stayed mad, but you know...
It felt good to have him out there with us. He is missed each and every day!! Andrew has often thought about how it would be easier to forget about him instead of holding on to things that bring you pain. But when it comes down to it, the pain is worth it because who would ever want to forget such a person! So a bitter-sweet event it was, but worth every moment.
He will always be with us!

Smile!

SEVEN weeks young and all smiles!

Uncle Curtis

I stole this picture from Shay because I don't have any pictures of Curtis and Ryan. He works a lot so we rarely see him, so I should have taken the chance a couple weeks ago to get a picture... but I didn't. So thanks Shay - it's a good one!

The Real Julie

You saw the "eating banana baby food as fast as you can" Julie, but this is the Julie I know and love!

Toddler Bed

I put Jackson down for a nap, and then found him here, on the floor, about ten minutes later. So it was time to head over to Aunt Tori's and pick up the toddler bed she had been saving for some time now.
Jackson is in love with his bed. He was so excited to show everyone his new bed! Last night it took about 15 minutes to get him to stay in bed. The first time he came running out, I put him to bed, tucked him in and said goodnight all over again. The second time I put him in bed and told him he had to stay. The third time he cracked the door, saw me, and shut the door. The fourth and last time, he cracked the door and quickly shut it again. That was it until 5am when he came walking into our room and climbed into our bed. Not bad for the first night.

Ryan's Blessing

Ryan's blessing was wonderful!! I am so grateful to have a husband that adores his children and is worthy to do such a thing as bless his son. And then on top of that, I have these two beautiful boys that did so well during Sacrament - even though Jackson choked on some candy, it was a great meeting. AND... I have the most supportive family ever! Some of them even got up at 5am or so to make an hour and a half drive to share this day with us.
I do believe this was Rob's first time holding Ryan -well done!
The triplets!
Andrew had such a busy day - and the night before that wasn't easy. The night before Andrew took over the feedings for me and then got up, gave the blessing, cooked lunch when we got home, made dessert to wrap it all up and loved us all all day long! He deserved this nap!

Last Week

Tuesday- My doctor and his nurse catching up with Ryan.
Andrew and I played in a softball game for his old company and Annette, Jackson, Ryan, Curtis and Tristan watched.Wednesday - The boys after their shower. Ryan and Great Aunt Jill
Jackson right after he crashed the scooter.
Thursday - Jackson all ready to go to the movies with Aunt Tori and his cousins Ivan, Mya and Zoe. I went out to lunch with a friend from Agoura - AMANDA :)This is how he was returned.Friday - Sleepover at the Anderson's!
Saturday - My friend from Simi Valley came to visit from Arizona - so she had a baby shower!! Fun Times!! The funny thing is we got to know eachother better in the year we were in Simi than in the years and years we grew up together in Hawthorne!A visit with my dear friend Giselle - remember she and I walked together in Simi and our sons are SO close. Andrew and Jackson = 1 month / Ryan and Matthew = 2 weeks

Advice Please

It all began Friday afternoon. Ryan and I were lying in my bed waiting for Jackson to wake up from his nap when I heard a noise very similar to Jackson speaking. I wasn't sure if it was him and so I perked up to try and hear better. This is when I saw the little man walk out of his room! That was the first time he climbed out of his crib and walked out of his room. Today it happened three more times. We tried putting him down for his nap, but he came out so proud of himself. I know part of it was he wanted to be with all the people (my family was here for Ryan's blessing) but I also know this is the beginning of a new transition.

So... any advice on helping him adjust to a toddler bed???

Home made Brownies

Last week, I walked into my office to find a sandwich bag on my desk containing three chewy, tasty, homemade chocolate brownies. Some thoughtful and anonymous person who knew my love for tasty homemade brownies had placed them there, along with a hand written short story. I immediately sat down and began eating the first chewy,
> tasty, homemade brownie as I read the following story:
>
> Two teenagers asked their father if they could go the theater to watch a movie that all their friends had seen. After reading some reviews about the movie on the Internet, he denied their request. Come on dad, why not? They complained. The movie is rated PG-13, and we are both older than thirteen!
>
> Dad replied: Because that movie contains nudity and portrays immorality as being normal and acceptable behavior. But dad, those are just very small parts of the movie! That's what our friends who've seen it have told us. The movie is two hours
> long and those scenes are just a few minutes of the total film! It's based on a true
> story and good triumphs over evil, and there are other redeeming themes like courage and self-sacrifice. Even the movie review websites say that! My answer is no and that is my final answer. You are welcome to stay home tonight, invite some of your friends over, and watch one of the good videos we have in our home collection. But you will not go and watch that film. End of discussion.
>
> The two teenagers walked dejectedly into the family room and slumped down on the couch. As they sulked, they were surprised to hear the sounds of their father preparing something in the kitchen. They soon recognized the wonderful aroma of brownies baking in the oven, and one of the teenagers said to the other, "Dad must be feeling guilty, and now he's going to try to make it up to us with some fresh brownies. Maybe we can soften him with lots of praise when he brings them out to us and persuade him to let us go to the movie he refused to let us see."
>
> About that time I began eating the second brownie from the sandwich bag and wondered if there was some connection to the brownies I was eating and the brownies in the story. I kept reading... The teens were not disappointed. Soon their father appeared with a plate of warm brownies, which he offered to his kids. They each took one.
>
> Then their father said, before you eat, I want to tell you something: I love you both so much. The teenagers smiled at each other with knowing glances. Dad was going to soften. That is why I've made these brownies with the very best ingredients. I've made
> them from scratch. Most of the ingredients are even organic. The best organic flour. The best free-range eggs. The best organic sugar. Premium vanilla and chocolate. The brownies looked mouth-watering, and the teens began to become a little impatient with their dad's long speech. I want to be perfectly honest with you, there is one
> ingredient I added that is not usually found in brownies. I got that ingredient from our own back yard. You don't need to worry, because I only added the tiniest bit of that
> ingredient to your brownies. The amount of it is practically insignificant. So go ahead, take a bite and let me know what you think.
>
> Dad, would you mind telling us what that mystery ingredient is before we eat? Why? The portion I added was so small. Just a teaspoonful. You won't even taste it. Come on, dad; just tell us what that ingredient is. Don't worry! It is organic, just like the other ingredients. Dad! Well, OK, if you insist. That secret ingredient is fresh organic
> ...dog poop.
>
> I immediately stoppedchewing that second brownie and I spit it out into the waste
> basket by my desk. I continued reading, now fearful of the paragraphs that still remained. Both teens instantly dropped their brownies back on the plate and began inspecting their fingers with horror. DAD! Why did you do that? You've tortured us by making us smell those brownies cooking for the last half hour, and now you tell us that you added dog poop! We can't eat these brownies!
>
> Why not? The amount of dog poop is very small in comparison to the rest of the ingredients. It won't hurt you. It's been cooked right along with the other ingredients. You won't even taste it. It has the same consistency as the brownies. Go ahead and eat! No, Dad...NEVER!
>
> And that is the same reason I won't allow you to go watch that movie. You won't tolerate a little dog poop in your brownies, so why should you tolerate a little immorality in your movies? We pray that God will not lead us unto temptation,so how can we in good conscience entertain ourselves with something that will imprint a sinful image in our minds that will lead us into temptation long after we first see it?
>
> I discarded what remained of the second brownie as well as the entire untouched third brownie. What had been irresistable minute go had become detestable. And only because of the very slim chance that what I was eating was slightly polluted. (Surely it
> wasn't...but I couldn't convince myself.) What a good lesson about purity!
>
> Why do we tolerate any sin? On the day of the Passover, the Israelites were commanded to remove every bit of leaven from their homes. Sin is like leaven or yeast a little bit makes the whole bowl of dough rise. (1Corinthians 5:6, 7) Faith and sin don't mix.

I Forgot About This - So Maybe You Have Too...

STROKE IDENTIFICATION:
During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) ....she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes.

They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the res t of the evening.

Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00 pm Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today. Some don't die.... they end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke... totally . He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE: Remember the '3' steps, S T R

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:
S * Ask the individual to SMILE.
T * Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently), (i.e. It is sunny out today)
R * Ask him/her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
If he/she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

New Sign of a Stroke -------- Stick out Your Tongue

NOTE: Ask the person to 'stick' out their tongue.. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other , that is also an indication of a stroke.

EASTER SUNDAY

As always we had three celebrations this Easter Sunday. Well actually, if you count the two incredible baskets Jackson received, we had four celebrations. The first began in our room when Jackson came in after waking up and discovered the basket "Aunt Tori" got him. Yes that is his very own baby doll and as soon as blogger isn't being lame, I will post the video of him trying to change his baby's diaper, kissing his baby, burping his baby, and feeding his baby. (approx. 7am)This is right before we left for CHURCH, celebration number ONE - kuddos to dad for taking a great shot. Both boys are alert and happy! (And yes it was tough getting Jackson to part with that baby ALL day long!) (approx. 8:50am)
After church we were off to Riverside. It's never a celebration without spending time with all of our family! (approx. 1pm)

Still in Riverside, Jackson and Abuelita enjoyed Uncle Rob and Aunt Sharon's amazing yard during their hunt for one jelly beaned eggs (I threw away all the rest of the candy - it was seriously out of control this year!). Despite a sore back, Abuelita joined Jackson in searching for these eggs in 89 degree weather - that's love. Oh and the no pants thing is because someone decided to pour an entire water bottle in his lap! (approx. 3:30pm)



Back in Acton, Annette and Richard wanted a recent picture with their grandkids so she got them these outfits to wear Easter Sunday. The amazing thing is this picture was taken at the end of the day... the clothes lasted all day! Way to go kids! (approx. 5:30pm)Jackson - Zoe - Ivan - Ryan - MyaI can't remember if we started this last year or the year before, but we decided we should have an adult Easter egg hunt. So each sibling (and their spouse) comes prepared with a dozen eggs filled with who knows what. Because it got so late this year, we did the hunt inside the kitchen. It's a lot of fun and it becomes very competitive. (approx. 8:30pm)

It was really a wonderful day but SO SO exhausting. The day ended when around 9pm, Jackson grabbed my hand and walked me to the front door of the Anderson's. He was DONE! Poor guy made it in to bed around 10pm. Yesterday was interesting because Jackson didn't wake up until 8:30am (so rare) and then took a three hour nap, 12-3, and then watched an entire movie with me, Envy, and then went to bed at about 8:30pm.... it was a day for recouping!