What Will We Do?

Sasha needs a yard so badly to be able to play in, I can hardly wait to get her a yard of her own. Yes we have a "playground" at our apartment complex, though if they water the same way they did last summer it will be in a swamp again, and unusable (they watered twice a day). To make a trip to the park we need around a two hour stretch, which is doable at times. Here at Grandma and Grandpa's she goes "owsize" (outside) three to five times a day, for short to not so short bits. It has greatly reduced her tantrum outbreaks to have "out" breaks.

For those of you wondering about the little yellow dot... these pictures are showing part of the yard that we had such a great time in, and that I would love to have someday (at least one like it).

Thanks for letting us play!!!

"BEBE"

This has got to be one of the happiest babies that you will ever meet. He is always the hit of a party, and has a great knack for making people "baby hungry" even those who thought that they were through that stage of life. Thanks for being such a sweet and happy boy "Bebe" (Braden). We love you so much!!!

A Visit With Great Grandma Corey

It took a little while for Sasha to warm up to the idea of getting very close to her Great Grandma. While wheelchairs are great fun to play in and push around it is a bit intimidating to get close to someone who is sitting in one. It seems to make them much bigger than you (when you are almost two).

When you have as sweet a Great Grandma as Sasha does you can't stay worried too long. As you can see she quickly warmed up to being with and near her. She even helped Great Grandma bring out her bag of laundry out for Grandma.

Our Dishwasher Artist

My Mom used to have my sisters and I do our painting on the door of the dishwasher, it makes cleanup a breeze, and you have built in water cups. Thanks for letting me in on your secret! Sasha has been having a great time "painting" she was having more fun dipping her paintbrush in the water and then the paint and back to the water... I tried to show her how to paint on the paper, she did it for a min, but it just wasn't as much fun I guess.

He knows best

“Faith in God includes faith in His timing”
“Faith includes faith in His purposes as well as in His timing. We cannot fully accept Him while rejecting His schedule. We cannot worship Him but insist on our plans.” ~ Neal A. Maxwell

You hear this all the time, but I don't think it really ever hits home until it happens directly to you. I was really touched by the Spirit in church today when a really good friend of ours talked about her experience with trusting in the Lord when the Lord's timetable was a little different schedule than her own. She talked about trying to have children; how difficult and frustrating it was to get pregnant because time was passing and she and her husband were having no success for so long. This couple went through a lot of struggles to get to where they are now and during the whole process, it seemed like so many other things were getting in the way.

Finally, after so much prayer and help from the Lord, she was able to get pregnant. She expressed her gratitude that the Lord did make them wait as long as they did because of everything else that had been going on throughout the whole ordeal. She mentioned that the Lord's timing turned out to be a much better plan than the one she had in mind at the time. They now have two beautiful little boys that are their whole world. It was a very touching testimony and I thank her for that.

I think we all need to remember that the Lord can see the big picture - it is us who cannot see the forrest through the trees. The Lord has a bird's eye view and can see what is coming. He knows what is best for us and if we simply put our trust in Him, He will bless us with opportunities and experiences that will maximize our blessings and fill our souls with joy.

Tracy Aviary

Grandma took us to the Tracy Aviary yesterday

Thank you!!! we had a great time, we were the only ones there

it was so much fun to see all of the birds, many were out on the walkways,

or close to the fences. We were guessing that was because there weren't a lot of people to scare them away.

This beautiful Snowy Owl was right at the fence, as you can see, they had placed a rope fence farther away, whether he was a bit skittish, or had tried to make lunch of a few too many fingers we don't know. Sasha loves owls, and this one was ok with her until she started hooting at it, then it ran to the back of it's cage.

For those of you who have been into live butterfly exhibits this was similar. There were several different varieties of Argentinian birds that were free to fly in this "house", it was fun to sit in the same room with them, none of them were too curious about us to come check us out, but it was still fun. Sasha didn't last too long she was ready to go back out to see the Flamingos again.

I couldn't decide if I wanted my coat on or off all day :)

Here is one of the Peacocks that was just wandering around.

It was really fun to see them so close.

Here is a Peahen and a juvenile just lying around.

Here is Sasha hiding from the Peacock behind Mommy

They were a little too big for her to be that close

This one was showing off for us

And last but not least...

Sasha's favorite the Flamingos

there were four or five of them that were chasing each other around the pond, she thought that was great. We spent the most time here because she was having so much fun.

THANK YOU GRANDMA!!!

Our Day at Wheeler Farm

Braden loved the animals almost as much as the straps on the stroller.

Walking by the river with Grandma checking out all of the ducks and the otter.

Sasha loved the "bebe" sheep, until they got too close.

"Curious George"

she was sooo excited, hopping up and down when she saw the bunnies

Mommy look at the chickens!!!

Our little cowgirl

We Are In Salt Lake

Sorry that I haven't posted in a while, I was worried that I might spoil the surprise. So now that we are here... HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDPA ANDERSEN... here are some pictures of our adventures.

Even with all of the new regulations with flying Sasha still got to "fly" the plane... after we landed. One of the pilots let her sit in his seat. We got to pre-board because of her allergies, so we were able to talk with one of the stewardesses through the flight and she asked the pilots if Sasha could see the cockpit. She loved it!!!

Dad was supposed to be home shortly after we arrived, but he figured that since Mom wouldn't be home until 6 that he would stay at the gym and work out. We thought that we had everything put away so that it would be a great surprise (we had managed not to spoil it since we had started planning). He walked into the bedroom and saw the car seats, he didn't think to much of it(since we had left one last time, but wasn't sure why there would be two). We had gone outside and gone around the house when he came home, sat the kids down, rang the bell and waited for Grandpa to answer... he still was surprised!!!

Thanks Ann and Great Grandma for this apron, Sasha was going to help Grandma and I cook dinner, but decided instead to go "owsi" (outside) and help Grandpa with the sprinklers.

While Mom and I were cooking Braden was playing with the step stool, we looked over to see him standing there, so proud of himself. He pulled himself up onto his feet, we scrambled to get a couple of pictures before he sat back down.

With Braden's tongue tie he is struggling to eat solids, so it was recommended by a lactation nurse to try a straw (we have since gone to a medicine dropper for safety) to help him with his gag. He still doesn't care too much for it, but a little a day, we will get there eventually. Thanks JJ for being his straight jacket and highchair.