Tantrums and Prayer

So thankful for Prayer. I was holding Ruth this morning after a particularly terrible tantrum, not knowing if I should laugh or cry. I asked Heavenly Father for some help, that I didn't know what to do about this, but that I knew some of her tantrum was my fault. 30 minutes later I hopped on pinterest for some kids craft searching and came across this article about Tantrums. It was exactly what I needed:)

http://www.parenting.com/article/toddler-temper-tantrums?page=0%2C0

Crafts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One of the things I love about getting together with the Anderson Women (Mike's side), is that we do a craft. Susanne and I made these at Emilee's house. She is part of a craft group, I forget if this was her craft or someone else's, but she set this up for us. It's a flip flopper so there's no removal after Halloween. You just flip it:) Love.

-wood

-stain

-blk paint

-sandpaper

-mod podge

-paper

-vinyl letters

Utah in September

Last week my niece Mariah was married and we went to Utah to attend.....unfortunately I didn't take a single  picture cause I'm awesome that way. But, I was able to take a few pics of Ruth with some Anderson cousins, while we visited our hearts out. That's Bella on the left followed by Ruth and Maddie. Both girls belong to Mike's sis. Emilee. Ruth had a BLAST!!!!!!! While at my parents house she ran wildly with her cousins. Then it was off to Em and John's where she ran wildly with more cousins. I really don't think she's had more consistent fun ever. What I mean by that is, it was day after day after day of little kid play MADNESS!!!!

 Cute cute face!!!! I can't get enough of it!!

 When Ruthie has stickers.

 When Mommy has stickers.

 Ruth's Baby Doll.

 All shopping carts should have drink holders.

Had to Share

I call these Busy Work toys. They are mostly for Sacrament Meeting but occasionally I pull them out when Ruth's bored or I need her attention elsewhere. The first 2 ideas I stole from a friends Mom, who in turn stole it from someone else.

1. That is an old Parsley container. It needs to be Parsley so the holes are big enough for the Pipe Cleaners. It cracks me up to watch Ruth put them in the hole then carefully and sloooowly push it down and in.
2. That's a Take and Toss cup (the bowl w/lid is nicer because it's a wide base) with a hole in the lid the size of a dime. You want the hole to be just big enough that the fuzzy's fit, but small enough that it takes some effort.
3. 1 size fuzzy for each container. It's a Dump and Sort thing.
4. I call this one Sewing, but Ruth calls is Cookie. 2 shoe laces (I think I'm going to switch to ribbon) and the shaker tops from all the spices in my cupboard. I have to take those off every time I measure something out, and it was bothersome, so I took them off, washed them up, used permanent marker on the rims and SHAZAAM! Sewing for Ruth.

If you girly's have any Busy Work ideas PLEASE share them, I need more.

ENJOY!!!

Wendy's Blessing Dress

 This Dress gave me heartburn.....okay, I don't get heartburn but if I ever did this would be the cause.

 "Guten Tag! My name is Greta and I'm Amish." :)

 "Mmmmmm.....Blessings taste good." There was some residual Blessing in the fabric.

My Mom is soooo talented! She made the Bonnet, Blanket and Booties which I LOVE.

What a Day

1-Today was the end of week three of weight training, and I can't believe how much I like doing it!!!
2-When I got home from working out Mike informed me that Ruth had taken off her diaper and scattered Marble Poos all over the floor.
3-Mike and I went on our very first Paid Babysitter date today and it was GREAT!!
4-Ruth went potty for the first time tonight!!!
5-Introducing Potty Treats may have been the worst decision ever, since 2 year old's don't understand why Potty Treats are only given after a successful potty experience, resulting in a complete melt down.
6-I'm still thankful to Em for teaching me about Paper Lunch Bag Popcorn:)

A First

Ruth's First Prayer with my help:

Me: Bless Josh on a Mission.
Ruth: Missin.
Me: Bless us.
Ruth: ........
Me: Help us sleep well.
Ruth: Seep.
Me: Help Daddy be safe.
Ruth: Safe.
Me: We love thee.
Ruth: Nope (clear as a bell).
Me: We love thee.
Ruth: Nope.

We have failed.

Lets do this Bullet Style
-Ruth is using more and more words everyday, REAL words:) Her most recent is help and happy:) So darling.
-I bought a new sewing machine and I LOVE it. However, it does have a lot of buttons..........class please!
-I've been called to teach the 16 and 17 year olds at Church and I'm not so good at it, but as long as they gain a greater love for the scriptures that's all I care about.
-Mike's on a soft ball team but hasn't played a single game because of bad weather:( but at least he got a tank top with Patrick Swayze on it.
-I've been speed walking for 2 weeks and now I've added in weight training. My goal is to loose 10 pounds by Sept. 19 which is when I leave for Utah to attend my nieces wedding. HARD but doable.
-Lauren, Dave and the kids were here this weekend and we had sooo much fun. Ruth was disappointed to find Quinn not here this morning.
-People keep getting confused because I call the baby Wendy and Mike calls her Ruby......

......and I just realized I missed the girls doctor appointment this morning.......ugggg.

Epic Sesame Street Fail

Ruth learned something unexpected and unwanted on Sesame Street this week. It was an episode on sharing but this is what left the biggest impression with her.

Where's Daddy?

Okay. Since gaining weight this last pregnancy I have been involuntarily snorting. Not loudly but just enough to be embarrassing. Even when I'm by myself and it happens I look around to make sure so one heard.

The Cub Scouts in our Ward had a Fundraiser and it went like this:
1-Donate the food for breakfast.
2-Give us a $ donation after you eat it.
3-Bake a Desert for us to auction off.

So, we first paid for the breakfast items, donated them and then bought them back. Then we paid for the items to bake, baked them, donated them then bought them back at exorbitant prices.........Did I just get taken?

1-If Babies miss a day of pooping it is inevitable that there will be an explosion the next day.
2-It is also inevitable that you will notice it right when you're going to put that baby down for a nap.
3-It will result in an entire body immersion bath waking up baby who had been sleepy.
4-Poop will get on Baby's face while taking off the onesie.
5-.......you will get to swaddle Baby in a towel and they will look like Baby Jesus which will make you feel better:)

A Breast Feeding Vent.

I'm not Breast Feeding. When people find out I constantly get the "I'm judging you look".

A-You have no idea why I'm not. For those of you that think "Woman have been doing this for thousands of years. This should come naturally right?" WRONG!!!!!!

B-I don't have to explain myself to you. This is my body, My child, and back in the day Formula was Sweetened condensed milk so we've come along way in the Formula department.

C-My baby will still bond with me thank you.

D-I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU THINK ANYWAYS YOU HIPPIE, Organic Produce only, "I only use cloth diapers." FREAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love,

Kelly

a series of faces

Burp baby

Doo ba doo

This is for Anneli. Ruth calls Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Doo Ba Doo.

1 of Ruth's FAVORITE things

Doo Ba Doo = Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Truly she says that when she wants to watch it which is just about everyday. And she says it whenever the Oompa Loompa's come out.

At Long Last...Wendy Ruby Anderson May 31

 Stylish Girlie!!

 The Houston Zoo:)

 Grandma Susanne. Ruth loves to point out every ball she see's:)

 Best friends already

 I've looked worse...

 Oh, her faces is so tiny. These pics make her look a lot bigger than she is, which is 6lbs 12oz and 20" long (however accurate that really is. I mean, that babies moving so how can you really measure it?)

 She's going home. I should have taken a picture of all of us. With out meaning to us girls were all in pink that day.

 The doggy at Old Navy

Yes, she is sucking her thumb.

Jewelry

I think I counted 15 necklaces before I finally stopped her:)

The Diaper Digger Strikes!!!

No idea why it's upside down.

For You Mommy's Out There

Found this book at the library today and it's darling. Go find it!! You will like it.

Rituals

Isn't it funny how ritualistic we humans get? Why do we do things the same way over and over again? I used to think I was OCD....k maybe I am but some things I want to put in the ritual category instead.

For instance:
-When I wash my hands I turn the water on with my left hand and shut it off with my right.
-In high school I went to the bathroom in the same stalls every time and I had a favorite drinking fountain to.
-When I shower I do everything in the same order every time........I tried to mix it up once and ended up forgetting to rinse the conditioner out of my hair.
-And when I get a drink at the sink I have to make a conscious decision to let go of the faucet otherwise I hold onto it while I'm drinking. I have no idea why I do that.

I realize all my examples have to do with personal hygiene.

I'm a little sad this day has come....

I found out she could get out when I went to lay down during her nap. I was just about to fall asleep when I heard, "Squish, squish. Squish, squish. Squish, squish." which is the sound diapers make when someone is sneaking up on you. I opened my eyes and there she was.........

Houston

WE'RE HERE!!!!!!!!

Oh the joy of not being in the car anymore.......Ruth feels the same way:) It actually wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, which is generally the case. I'm a firm believer in expecting the absolute worst so that it always turns out better than I expected. This way of think has only failed me once and that was my fault.

Highlights:
1-Watching the back tire of the truck go up on a curb and SLAM back down again as as soon as we left the apt. in Durham. Might as well get that over with right at the beginning:)
2-Ruth getting SUPER EXCITED upon see Mike every time we stopped for gas/food. She would hold out her arms and squeal with delight as soon as she saw him regardless if the car was still moving or not.
3-Lyle (my father in law) taking care of sleeping arrangements. It was one thing I was happy to not worry about.
4-Eating catfish and Cajun shrimp in Lake Charles Louisiana..........soooooooo goooooooood!!!
5-Mike's pleasure that the scooter was still standing up in the back of the truck every morning. We kept expecting it to fall over. But it did not due to my hubbies amazing boy scout skills.
6-Us destroying our mouths with sunflower seeds to stay awake. It took mine 2 days to recover.
7-Watching 3 men haul almost everything we owned up to the 3rd floor balcony by basket, rope and pulley. So Tough!!
8-Getting here and really liking the apartment....sigh of relief. Thank you Kasey and Rob for all your hard work!!!!

Truly it couldn't have gone better.

The Move

Since Mike and Ruth are both asleep and I can't do anything for fear of waking them up I should clearly Blog.

Well, we're ready to leave except for a few last minute items that need to go in the truck and a bit of house keeping. I'll admit I'm sad to leave. Two and three quarter years ago I never would have thought it possible with how homesick I was, but with the addition of friends and babies it has slowly become home.....I hate goodbyes. I'm that person that always makes it weird. I'm either so excited to be off that they don't think I care or so sad my eyes kinda glaze over and I'm emotionless, also making people think I don't care. I'd rather be a gypsy and just disappear in the middle of the night, again making people think I don't care but at least I wouldn't have to witness it:)

I hear a little girl garbling so I must be off!

Goodbye Durham!! We're leaving you tomorrow morning.

Houston we will see you in a few days.

Where's Ruthie?

It's HERE!!

The moving day is upon us! It's now 10:05pm on Tuesday and we leave after Sacrament meeting on Sunday. ACK! I've been packing and packing and packing and yet more packing. The Crock Pot, Kitchen Aid, Food Processor, Blender and Rice Cooker are probably going to be the last to go because I just have no idea how to pack them. There isn't a box out there that's the right size, except maybe the one's they came in which I do not have:(

Poor Ruthie had a temperature of 101.3 when I put here to bed tonight. Hopefully she's fully recovered by the time we leave. At least she didn't get sick on like Saturday....that would have been to much for my pregnant nerves........3 days traveling in the car with a sick girly.

On a positive note we now have somewhere to live:) We looked long and hard for a house to rent but that just didn't work. So, we'll be in an apartment for a year then we'll look for a house to rent....or maybe buy:) I can only dream.

1, 2, 3 and then some dance moves.

Mikey's Toy Baby

Bed Head......Finally.

Crepe Sandwich

Mike and I made these the other day and I have to say they were quite tasty.


Susanne's Crepe Recipe
1 1/2 C. Milk
3 Eggs
1/4 C. Melted Butter
1 C. Whole Wheat or White All-Purpose Flour
Dash Salt

Mix ingredients in blender. Add the butter first then flour so the hot butter doesn't cook your egg.

I used the ingredients for a California sandwich and tweaked it a bit, but really anything that would be good in a Pita Pocket would work.

Sandwich
1 Avocado Sliced
1 Tomato, sliced thin
1 Cucumber, sliced thin
2 Tbsp. chopped Basil or Cilantro
Salt & Pepper
Alfalfa Sprouts
Pepper Jack Cheese
Deli sliced Turkey Breast

Chive Spread
1/4 C. Greek Yogurt or Mayo (or 2 Tbsp. of each)
1 Tbsp. Finely Chopped Chopped Chives (I used scallions, they're cheap)

Place the cheese and meat within reach of the stove. Pour batter on med-high skillet. Pick up the skillet and rotate it while tilting it to thinly spread the batter. According to Mike flip it when the edges are browned and start to curl.....As soon as you flip the Crepe place cheese on one half of it and layer meat on top of the cheese. When your crepe is done fold it in half so the cheese and meat are sandwiched and remove from heat.

Now smear it with chive spread. Place remaining ingredients on one half of your crepe (which is really a quarter of your crepe). Fold it in half again so it's quarter sized and eat:)

Tip-When you remove it from the stove it's good to have some parchment paper on your plate so you can fold it around your crepe. It's easier to pick up that way, otherwise I eat it with a fork.

Tip-Have strawberries and whip cream on hand for dessert crepes:)

P.S. I meant to post that I conquered the world of granola not that I concurred the world of granola.............it's pregnant brain. I knew it was spelled wrong but even my 5 minutes of searching dictionary.com didn't fix my problem. I also maintain that it's more important to know you're spelling it wrong than it is to spell it right.

Sorry it has been awhile. Really I just don't have a lot to post most of the time.

Those are balloons. I believe she's watching Pollyanna which she LOVES!!

The Happenings:
-Ruth has finally started calling me Mommy or Mama. It's infrequent but it does happen.
-She sometimes calls Mike Dadoo.
-She can put her boots on all by herself. On occasion she struggles which results in the most fantastic meltdowns.
-Mike Aced his last test:)
-The temperature is currently 75 degrees and I'm wearing flip flops........there are tornado warnings for today and the weekend.
-I'v concurred the world of homemade granola.
-New baby moves on a regular basis, which didn't help when I had a yucky kind of stomach flu.
-Ruth is still in the 90's in all her stats.
-Mike and I are half way through season 3 of Murder She Wrote on Netflix.
-I'v taken to buying Coke Zero and hiding it around the apartment so Mike doesn't dump it out:)

The End.

Baby 2's Blessing Dress

Babies Layette: Retro / Vintage Sewing Pattern 2629 Simplicity

I'm making the one in the top right corner. Ruth's was short so I'm sticking with that theme.

Me and my Family at the MoTab Christmas Concert

Ruthie on Christmas morning at my sister Anneli's house. She's clutching the only presents she cared about that day, mini snickers bars:) She wouldn't even let them go to open presents.

Well I'm getting us ready to move. You may think it's a bit premature but when we move I'll be huge pregnant so I'm starting now. I've bought plastic storage boxes for baby stuff and such and things are moving from our closets to the D.I. pile. We don't have a D.I here but I still call it that.

Now that we know where we're going I wish we could just go. This is like slowly peeling off a band aid. I just want to rip it off! 

The News

I can now officially tell you all that we will be moving to Houston, TX to work for IBM at the end of April, almost exactly 1 month before the babies born.

Reasons why you all should come visit us:
1- Miller Outdoor Theatre-Pack your lawn chairs and your cooler, and prepare to have a relaxing good time at Miller Outdoor Theatre. Visitors sit on the hillside or take a seat under the polygon canopy to enjoy the weekly shows that start in the spring and run through the fall.
2- Space Center Houston-Space Center Houston of NASA's Johnson Space Center, allows visitors to study and understand the making of space history. Enter into the five-story plaza which features a full-size shuttle mock-up, complete with a flight deck.
3- Houston Zoo-Situated in the lovely Hermann Park , Houston Zoo is home to more than 4500 animals from over 800 species. 
4- Bayou Bend-Bayou Bend is the former home of Ima Hogg, a famous philanthropist. Visitors can wander through 14 acres of woodlands and formal gardens, or check out the house that contains 4,800 various works of art.
5- John P. McGovern Museum of Health & Medical Science (The Health Museum)-The Health Museum was made to be interactive, create awareness on health education and cater to kids. Exhibits include a large walk-through view of the human body called the Body Pavilion. Discussions and interactive talk sessions also feature the pros and cons of smoking habits, the importance of a healthier lifestyle and many other workshops that educate kids.
6- Houston Fire Museum-History buffs will enjoy the Houston Fire Museum, which traces the history of Houston's local firefighters from the late 19th century to modern day. The special photographic exhibit, "Taking the Heat for 100 Years," allows you to follow the history of fire fighting from the early years when buckets were passed hand-to-hand all the way through to modern technology. Another highlight is the 1892 steam fire engine that stands side-by-side with the modern 20th-century pumper.
7- Houston Ship Channel Boat Tour-Just sit right back and hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip…The Port of Houston offers a wonderful 90-minute tour of the Houston ship channels—for free! Perfect for a day of learning with the kids or to relax with a group of friends and enjoy the sights of the city. Passengers can view the channels from an air-conditioned room on board, and the first beverage is free—no personal food is allowed on board.




.........and more.


PLUS WERE HAVING A BABY!!!!!


...and there's a water park Mike keeps talking about that's supposed to be huge, and cruises leave from our port:)

A Few Funny Things

-Ruth's panicked yells from the bathroom were to inform me she had pooped her bath and needed rescuing  before they touched her (she was standing on her tip toes, feet together leaning as far away from them  as she could)

-Ruth can peel a mandarin all by her self. However, that doesn't mean she'll eat it but she will vigorously bite each segment to get at some of the juice.

- I swear when I asked her to come put her shoes on she said, "Don't want to!"

-She does not like chocolate covered marshmallows..................strange kid.

What are we having Mike?

First Dance Moves Caught on Tape

Dance Party with DaD