January 2013

During our January cabin trip the kids wanted to play out in the snow and try some sledding, although there really wasn't much snow up there this year. Anders wanted to go outside and play too, but he hated getting dressed in the snow gear. He cried and cried.

We were finally able to get him to go outside and he had a great time. I love these pictures of these fits though. Sometimes we remember to photograph only the happy times and forget that most days are full or ordinary and sometimes frustrating moments.

My mom had heard about the new children's exhibit at the Church museum downtown and I don't think my boys had ever been there so we took a trip downtown. We went just after a huge snowstorm, and although it was a bit of an ordeal to push a stroller through deep snow it was worth it. Once we got to the museum we had it all to ourselves. The boys loved playing on the iPads.

They got to color a picture of their own.

Tanner and Anders loved the huge blocks that they could use to build a temple.

The boys tried to do a little dancing. The vests for boys were cute, but I'm sure girls love the big skirts that you can try on.

It was a really fun afternoon at the museum. The kids would like to go back again sometime.

Anders' birthday was at the end of the month. He is two and I still can't believe it.

We had our own little family party for him with brownies and he loved the flickering flames.

He got some fun presents for his birthday. It's hard to buy gifts for a 2 year old who has three older siblings of the same gender! We gave him some drums to use in the bathtub.

He got lots of stuffed animals from Grandma and Grandpa H. This little boy just loves stuffed animals.

Grandma Marlene and Grandpa Larry gave him a hippity-hop horse that he has enjoyed.

We also gave him his very own chair.

For some reason when it came time to have his birthday cake he wasn't too happy.

Oh the sadness!

But blowing out the candles made it all worth it.

Anders and I really had a rough time about a year ago. He and I were both pretty miserable. He would cry for long stretches and would hardly ever smile. The days felt so long and I couldn't understand what was making him so unhappy. I think there was something that was troubling him, either physically, mentally or spiritually. I still don't know what it was, but I'm happy to report that he is now a little ray of sunshine. He has his moments (like we all do), but most of the time he is very happy and full of smiles. I'm grateful to Heavenly Father for taking away his pain. Anders loves his stuffed animals, soccer balls, footballs, and basketballs (or "hoops" as he likes to call them). He still isn't a big eater, but he loves to eat veggies. I wish I could get that to translate over to my other kids. He will usually eat his veggies and leave everything else on the plate. When we took him to the doctor for his checkup he was finally registering on the weight chart in the 1% range. He and Bradon are both lightweights so my doctor has me give them Carnation Instant Breakfast drinks before bed. Bradon calls them his "special drink."
We're all grateful for Anders and the blessing that he has been in our family. People say that he looks like a little Ethan - and it's true! He's a handsome little guy and we're lucky to have him in our family.