Thank Goodness for Bus Stops

So, my family has been living in our yellow house on the corner for six years now, and we only occasionally have spoken to our neighbors the whole time. With the positioning of our house, we don't see anyone when we are outside except the house across the street (that is a rental and never occupied). It has been very strange being in a neighborhood without knowing our neighbors.

Alas, our problem is solved. At the start of the school year, Braelinn started riding the bus, and now we know all the families around us with children in elementary school. There are actually two families, two houses up to our left and three houses down to the right, that have boys in Braelinn's kindergarten class. The family behind us has another kindergartener, and the little girl, who we did know, has parents! I know it's crazy, but I honestly didn't even know some of these kids existed.

Last week I was able to have the moms over for breakfast after the kids got on the bus. And today we made cookies for all the families. The kids were so excited to make the cookies for their new friends--yes, Danen has a new buddy that moved in about two months ago next door!--and see the smiles on their faces when they got cookies.


It's amazing what a bus stop will do to bring a neighborhood together.

Certain Things Every Son Should Know

As I sit here, stuck on the bathroom floor, waiting for Danen to use the potty, I have been thinking about all the things I have left to teach him in life. Some, I'm hoping, won't take this long, and some I know I will instill until my last breath. I am grateful for the chance to raise this little man to adulthood, but I am overwhelmed with all the things he must know to love himself and be a successful husband and father.

Here is my list, so far:

Be grateful for what you have and tell the Lord thank you at least once a day. Whether you drive a Pinto or a Porsche, live in a cardboard box or a house on a hill, He gave you everything. He should be able to take it all away, and you should still be happy.

Be confident in who you are. There's no one else out there to be you.

Embrace everyday as if it is your last. Danen was named after a dear friend of mine who lost his life, much too young, at the age of 19. One thing I thought about at his funeral was a saying by Abraham Lincoln that says, "It's not the years in your life that count; it's the life in your years." Danen lived a very full life in his short amount of time on this Earth; I can only hope my Danen will enjoy it as much.

Be honest in everything that you do. No matter if you can get away with it or not, you can't lie to yourself.

Follow your gut; it's actually the Spirit guiding you.

Know when to make your own mistakes and when it's okay to learn from someone else's. Of course you will need to do somethings and grow in the process, but you don't have to experience everything firsthand.

Learn to be an "indian" and a "chief." People will need you as both during different events in your life.

Never turn down someone who makes the first move. What's one dance or date going to hurt if someone else went out of their way to ask?

And to go with that, gracefully say no, the second time around, if you're not interested. It's rude to lead someone on.

Opening the door for women never goes out of style. Neither does standing up when one walks in the room.

Learn to play the guitar. It can get the attention of a crowd or of that special someone.

Treat everyone with respect but don't let them walk all over you.

It doesn't matter if someone else is looking, always do the right thing. Being cool only matters though high school anyways.

Go after your dreams. If you reach them make higher ones.

Don't always think you have to take the straightest road from A to B. Most of the time, the things you remember in life happen when you take the scenic route.

The next three go hand-in-hand:

Human touch speaks every language and gets your point across. If you like someone--just out of respect, as a friend, or more--show them. Shake their hand. Give them a hug. Put your arm around their waist. It will get you what you want. (I have a great friend, named Peter, who has mastered this. I wish he taught lessons!)

Learn to dance--WELL. There have been many times I have wanted to dance and not had a partner to dance with. Women are always waiting for someone to lead them in a dance. I can't think of anything more romantic than an unexpected slow dance.

Think pro-actively. Don't wait for someone to tell you what to do. In work. In marriage. In service to others. You don't know how much more it means to get something done without having to ask for it. I saw an elderly man giving a talk from a pulpit once. In the middle of it, he became too weak to stand on his own, but he wanted to finish. Out of nowhere, another man (without the promptings of his wife) went to his side and held him around the waist until he finished. I thought at that time, "What a wonderful mother this man must have had to teach him to help even when he's not asked." It still brings a lump to my throat thinking about it today.

And last but not least, make it fun wherever you are. Don't rely on someone else to have a good time. Enjoy yourself!

Man! I have a lot of work ahead of me. Lol.

The Blessings of a Dirty House

Apparently I am not as multi-talented as I though. If you were wondering, "What's been going on in the Andersons' lives over the last year?," so is everyone else. You didn't just miss an update. I haven't done one. I realized I wasn't as organized and task-oriented as I needed to be in order to keep up a blog and my daily duties. Therefore, the last entry really was a year ago.

It has been a humbling experience to have to push aside the OCD and take things one at a time. It has taken almost this whole past year to get things back in order from being on bed rest for 4 1/2 months. Everything has to be done 4 times thanks to the quickness of 3 children. Just when you think, "There. The livingroom is clean. I'll go start a load of laundry." You walk upstairs to get the hamper and come back to a room dirtier than it was before you started.

After a few months of stressing out, I realized each dirty room is a blessing. My kids had a great time making each mess, and I helped make their day a little more fun.

Don't get me wrong, I still have my non negotiable quirks--the Tupperware must have its lid on before going into the cabinet, the characters/flowers on the blankets must be facing you when you walk through each bedroom door, all the clothes on the hangers must be facing the same direction, etc.--but going to bed with only a pathway from the door to the stairs means I have one more thing to be thankful for in my prayers that night.

Since I've had this epiphany, I'm turning over a new leaf on my blog as well. Along with a different address, my posts will be slightly different. Everyone gets to see my love or frustration in daily life through Facebook posts, so I'm going to try to use this as a way to record my blessings and find good in even the hardest places. Our Savior lived His life this way--finding good in those whom society cast out and making each bad situation a learning one--hopefully, I can try as well.

So here it is. I'm grateful for my dirty house. First because I have one. Second because I have children(and let's be serious, a husband) who make it that way. And third because I have a Heavenly Father and Elder Brother who love me in spite of it.

Slippin' and Slidin'

A couple of days ago, Nate bought a Slip-N-Slide for the kids. He set it up and showed them how to do it. He was very grateful for the pool at the end, so he wouldn't slide to a stop in the grass.


Braelinn had a blast! She wouldn't go on her belly, but her knees worked just fine.

Danen was not down with sliding (what 19 month old would be?), but he liked to sit down on the tarp and get sprinkled.

They had a great time. By the end, we had tons of neighborhood kids sliding too. Too bad I can't fit in my suit yet.

Okay. It has been a while since my last update. I have been taking pictures, but I've selected to sleep instead of blog. Now that I'm adjusted to less sleep, I can get everything posted.

It is quite funny the things that happen in front of me while I'm stuck in the chair feeding Rianne. This time, Danen was trying really hard to get in Braelinn's Barbie car. Naturally, he tried the door first....

But since he didn't fit, he went through the sunroof.

Next, a picture of Rianne after a trip to Bruster's. She wasn't a fan of the heat!

On the 4th of July, we went to celebrate with Grandpa Clair at his neighborhood block party. Here's Braelinn taking a drink break from all the running around.

Here's Danen pleading with each of us to play ball with him.

Rianne slept the entire time we were out there. So here's a picture back at the house once she woke up.

This is a random picture after church. I thought her outfit was so cute.

And lastly, we had a picnic after church last week. I remembered why I don't do picnics very often. Braelinn is scared of EVERY SINGLE bug that comes around. I did manage to get one happy shot of her.

Danen enjoyed his meal so much, he wouldn't even acknowledge the camera for a picture.

And finally, Rianne was sunbathing (sleeping) through the majority of the meal.

Now that you're all caught up, I'll do my best to post more often.

Does anyone know if there's a PA?

So, it's bad enough to have a kid addicted to one passy, but this is how Danen has been walking around the last few days... And if we try to take them away, he looks crazy like this...

Does anyone know if there's a P(assies) A(nonymous)? I don't think we will ever get them away from him!!

Test Results are In

In case you haven't heard the wonderful news yet, Rianne's tests all came back normal. I spent the majority of the day, Wednesday, at the Children's Hospital at Scottish Rite getting tests run to make sure her kidneys are okay. She got an ultrasound and a test called a VCUG (they insert a catheter and dyed fluid to see if her bladder refluxes fluid into her kidneys.). She was a trooper; she didn't cry at all. Then on Thursday, the doctor let us know everything's okay. We are so grateful for everyone's prayers and concerns for Rianne. She's a perfect addition to our family.
Here's a picture from after church yesterday. Let me tell you, getting 3 kids ready is WAY different than 2. Hopefully it will get easier when Rianne doesn't want to nurse every minute she's awake. I thought I was doing good until it hit 8:30, the time we usually leave, and all the kids were ready, but I was still in my pajamas. We made it in time to take sacrament, but it was close. I pray next week is better. We'll see....