Anderson Adventures

Family Pictures

2010-11-14T20:39:00.000-08:00

Our friend Felicia Bates took these pictures and I am so pleased with them. Thanks Felicia!!

Turning Two

2010-11-12T20:41:00.000-08:00

On October 24th, Jaxon officially turned two. He had a great day full of food, fun, and presents. He had a birthday party with his little friends at McDonalds where everyone ate chicken nuggets and cupcakes. His favorite present was his Cozy Coupe which he now sits in whenever he watches Barney. I made him a frog cake for his birthday that was turning out to be really cute until the kitchen became hot, and the top tier decided to slip right off the bottom... it was a minor mishap but the cake tasted great.

Halloween

2010-11-11T13:25:00.001-08:00

Our photographer Felicia did a great job of editing out Jax's milk drool... now it just looks like he has shiny lips..
Jax had a really hard time keeping his hood on. Chad had to hold his hands to keep him from pulling it off.

At the ward Halloween party. Jax is a dragon, I am an anime character, and Chad... well, I'm not sure what Chad is...

I love those little wings...

Team Boo: Chad, Damen, and Dallin served pumpkin soup with pumpkin tea

Team Spider Web: Kathy, Branson, and Caden made an excellent pumpkin stuffing

Team Eye of Newt: Kara, Janelle, and Quincy made pumpkin muffins using only the items they had in food storage

Team Rusty Chainsaw: Dirk, Tyler, and Logan made pumpkin in a can bread which was beautifully wrapped. We decided that their team won "Most Likely to Be Given Away in Relief Society"

Team Scream: Megan, Justin, and Jax won the contest with their pumpkin trifle.

Team Monster Mash: Lane, Alec, and Madison made a pumpkin dip and presented their dish using strobe lights and a fog machine

We had a great Halloween this year. Jax dressed as the cutest dragon I have ever seen. He enjoyed the costume, but really had a hard time keeping his hat on. On Halloween night, we celebrated by having an Iron Chef America inspired "Battle Pumpkin." We separated into six teams and then randomly assigned the nieces and nephews to each team. Everyone was tasked with bringing a pumpkin inspired dish to the Halloween party and we would eat them for our meal. I figured we would just be having a bunch of desserts for dinner, but everyone was very creative in their dishes. Brett and Jacquline were the judges of the night and after everyone had a chance to present their dish, the judges decided that Team Scream (with Justin and I) won the best pumpkin dish of the evening with our Pumpkin Trifle. Our prize was movie tickets which we used to see the movie RED. It was a super fun night.

2010-06-28T21:54:00.001-07:00

Jax reading his favorite book "Brown Bear" with his Gigi

The last month Jax has become a language sponge. I hear at least ten new words from him every day, and he is constantly parroting everything we say. It is adorable. However, he has learned to refer to me as "Megan" instead of "Mommy"... much to Chad's delight and to my horror. I think he picked it up when my mom and dad were staying with us for a week. He heard my name much more often than usual.

Early this morning while we were still in bed we heard a Jaxon knocking on his crib with his little fist. He then started to shout, "Hi! Megan!" "Hi! Megan!" When I walked into his room he was all smiles for me and he slyly said again, "Hi Megan." If he wasn't so darn cute, I might have been a bit upset...

The Tree That Started It All...

2010-05-31T10:04:00.000-07:00

Jaxon demonstrating the size of the tree that started it all...
Me spoting my latest accessory...

The last few weeks have been pretty eventful for the Anderson Family. It all started on Saturday the 15th... I decided to plant a tree my nephew Branson gave me that he had recieved for Arbor Day. I decided to plant it in the grass so the roots wouldnt get in the way as it grew bigger. I found a spot to plant, grabbed a shovel, and started digging. The ground was harder than I expected, so I decided to jump on the shovel it get it further in. BIG MISTAKE! The shovel wasn't sturdy and tipped over with me on top. I reached out my right hand to stop my fall and heard a loud "pop". The pain actually took my breath away. I rushed inside to tell Chad. He originally laughed until he saw how much pain I was in. We hurried over to the Immediate Care where we learned I had broken my wrist in four places...

A few days later we went to an Orthopedic Surgeon, who said I would have to have surgery to set it. The surgery included putting a metal plate in my wrist that would be permanent. Up until this point I have never broken a bone or had surgery... I had the surgery on Monday the 24th, and it went really well. I'm going back for a check-up tomorrow, and I'm hoping they can take off the splint at that point. (The doctor said that the plate will act as an internal cast).

Thankfully, my mom was able to come up for two weeks to help with Jax. I have found it very difficult to dress a wiggly boy, or change a diaper with only one hand. Her help was invaluable and we so appreciated her.

Horray for Nursery!

2010-04-13T12:06:00.001-07:00

A few of Jax's 18 month pictures

It is official, Jaxon has reached 18 months... happiest part about that- he gets to go to nursery! Jax has gone to nursery now two times, and so far so good. He loves playing with the other kids, and he especially loves the bubble machine. Our favorite part about it is that it distracts him enough to make it through church. We are in the 11-2 block which is right during his nap time. Before nursery, he would get so cranky during the last two hours. Now he is distracted enough to make it through, and has crashed once we make it home. So far either Chad and I have been in there with him, we'll see if he continues to love it once we start going to our own classes...

Personal Progress Project...

2010-03-30T13:46:00.000-07:00

Most of the grandkids at the wedding
Jax with his GG

The Wedding Cake! The frosting was a little rough, but it tasted great.

I've been in Young Womens now for about two years, and throughout my time I have had the goal to complete Personal Progress again as a leader. Somehow, though, this goal has continuially been pushed back. However, after a wonderful New Beginnings program this past February, I decided that it REALLY was time. I got looking at the book, and discovered that many of the value experiences were things I was already doing (i.e. giving lessons, budgeting, planning meals...). Also, I discovered that I could count several of my bigger goals- baking a wedding cake for Kara and Lane's wedding- as one of my 10 hour projects.

On March 27th, Kara and Lane got married, and I finally finished their wedding cake. It took WAY more than 10 hours by the time all the researching, practicing, and finally implementing took place, but it was actually really fun and I think it made a great wedding present.

Cake Decorating

2010-01-28T21:39:00.000-08:00

This was my nephew Tyler's birthday cake... he likes computers...

My final cake for the Course I Decorating Class... Not perfect, but not too shabby either...

For Christmas this year, Chad gave me one of the best presents I have ever recieved... a cake decorating class. To make it even more fun, Chad invited several of our friends to also get their wives the class for Christmas. The class has spaned four weeks, and tonight was our last class. (I even recieved a certificate of completion...). We had to bring a frosted cake to each class, and we have learned some basic piping skills and how to create several frosting flowers including creating a frosting rose. I wouldn't say that I have mastered any of the skills taught, but I am definitely a more saavy cake decorator than before. I made a commitment when I originally learned about the class that I would make a cake for each of the grandkids for their birthdays. That will be a total of 14 cakes this year, and by the end of it, I should be better... My sister-in-laws, Kathy and Kara benefited because they got each of the finished cakes every week. I neglected to take pictures of my first two cakes, but I got one from my nephew Tyler's birthday and from my last class. I liked the class so much that I think I'm going to take the Course II one that starts next week.

Kara asked me to make her wedding cake for her reception that will be at the end of March... I'm going to be practicing a lot between now and then...

5 Minutes in Jaxon's Life

2010-01-21T06:05:00.000-08:00

He started out playing on his car. That is a screeching face of joy... he really loves his car.
Next Jax grabbed his next favorite thing, his photo album. It's funny because we have a bunch of albums located in the same place, but he always grabs this one and goes through it.

Next Jax found a car and decided to sit down and spin a wheel for awhile.

When that got boring, he moved over to my shelf where he was able to knock down a few bags of flour.

Then he found some Kix that he had dropped on the floor during dinner. (This is also a new favorite thing. He will pick up a single cereal, look at me, say "Ahh Oh" and drop it on the floor)

This is when Jax discovered my camera as a new toy... we stopped taking pictures at that point.

Jaxon has been walking (and really I should say running because he rarely walks anymore) for about a month now. In addition to being more mobile, he has developed the talent to get into EVERYTHING! I thought he was a busy boy before, but I was wrong... so very very wrong. In an attempt to capture the intrigue and speed that has become Jax, I took my camera and followed him around the house for 5 minutes. I did it National Geographic style- I kept my distance and tried not to interfere with his natural curiosity and movements (except when he tried to pick something out of the garbage and eat it... no picture was taken at that point as I almost dropped the camera to try to stop him.) Within that 5 minute span, he changed activities 6 times and was in 4 different areas of the house... amazing!

Merry Christmas!

2010-01-01T21:00:00.000-08:00

Anderson Family Reindeer Games Challenge

2010-01-01T20:22:00.000-08:00

Damen, Tyler and Bryant with the Reindeer Game Scoreboard
Preparing for Christmas Cookie Fear Factor

Preparing for Christmas Cookie Fear Factor... they were all smiling at this point

Grandma and Frank with all the grand kids

Our Anderson Family Reindeer Games Challenge Winners: Alec and Brett

This year Chad and I (but mostly Chad) put together a series of games for the Anderson family to play the week before Christmas. We called the event "The Anderson Family Reindeer Game Challenge." We separated the family into 8 teams (with one adult and one child per team) and assigned each team to be a different reindeer. Each team was tasked with creating a team flag and we made a scoreboard that was on display throughout the week. Each night we played a different "reindeer game." The games varied from Christmas Carol Jeopardy to Wrapping Presents with no hands to North Pole Trivia (everyone was given 24 hours to find out as much as they could about the North Pole and everyone literally spent HOURS researching) :) to a special Christmas Fear Factor where each contestant had to eat a Christmas cookie with a "mystery ingredient" on it. (The mystery ingredients included ketchup, vinaigrette dressing, and garlic spread to name just a few.) The final game was a treasure hunt where each team was tasked with finding the "jingle bell rock." Complete mayhem broke out in this game as all the teams scrambled to find a painted rock buried in the snow. In the end Chad's brother Brett and his nephew Alec won the entire challenge when they were the first to find the "jingle bell rock." All and all, it was a very fun event, and I think we will try to make it a family tradition.

Turning One and being a Jax O'Lantern

2009-11-11T13:30:00.000-08:00

This is Jax at one year old. He looks so big and so little at the same time.

For Halloween this year, Jaxon was a Jax O'Lantern. He recieved the costume

from his Grandma O, and was the cutest Jax O'Lantern in town!

Happy Birthday Jaxon Chad

2009-10-30T07:02:00.000-07:00

Jax in the toddler part of Chucky Cheese
We had a great time crawling around in the kiddie tubes

This was the token Chucky Cheese character

Jax had fun destroying his cake

I purposefully didn't put frosting on...but he still managed to get pretty dirty

Braydon with his Christmas inspired cake

Jax with his favorite birthday toy and with his favorite cousins Tyler, Quincy, Caden, and Branson

We celebrated Jaxon's 1st birthday last Saturday on the 24th and it was definitely a celebration to remember. Jax's cousin Braydon also had a birthday and he decided that he really wanted to go to Chucky Cheese to celebrate. Since the entire family was going to be there anyway, we decided to combine the parties together. Jax couldn't play the games his cousins were playing, but he LOVED the toddler section. Every time we moved him to a different play area he would cry and scream until he became enamored with the next attraction. One thing I was disappointed in though is that they had completely changed the format of Chucky Cheese. When I was a kiddo they had the big stage with the animatronic characters that put on quite the concert. Now, at least at the Chucky Cheese we visited, have completely done away with the stage show. There was a animatronic Chucky (the mouse... not the horror doll) in some dark corner of the place, but he just didn't capture the spirit of Chucky Cheese to me. Some things about the place never change though. For instance, it still takes about 100 tickets to earn something stupid like a piece of taffy. My nephews played hard for hours (and their parents spent loads of money) and all they had to show for it at the end of the day was a sucker or an airhead candy. No wonder that place is still in business.

After totally exhausting ourselves at Chucky Cheese, we went back to my house for birthday cake. Jaxon's favorite thing in the world is a wheel. Whenever he finds a wheel to spin he will literally sit for 20 minutes at a time and watch it spin. So, I made him a birthday cupcake shaped like a wheel. (Actually, a it was a very easy design) :) Braydon's cake required a bit more work. He really likes Christmas (when I say "really likes" I mean it. That boy has been planning a Christmas pageant since last January. He has been doing chores all summer to earn money to buy decorations for his big show) so we decided to make him a cake in the shape of a Christmas tree. The creation of the Christmas tree was a combined effort. I baked the cake, Chad carved it, and our nephew Branson did most of the frosting and decorating. All and all, I think it was a huge success.

We sang to Jax first and he was totally enthralled by the fire on his birthday candle. (Do I have a future pyro on my hands?) Once the singing was done, we took out the candle and scooted the cupcake over to him. At first all he did was look at it. Then, slowly, he gingerly poked it with his little finger. He looked at his finger, then looked towards us. We all cheered our approval. He broke into a smile, and then launched himself at the cupcake. I'm not sure how much of the cake actually ended up in his mouth, but he did succeed in completely smashing it to pieces. He loved the few pieces that did end up in his mouth, and it was apparent that the sugar had a fast effect on him. His little feet were kicking out of control as he sat in his high chair. Chad and I decided that it was a good thing we hadn't given him sugar up to that point before.

Opening presents was also pretty entertaining. Jaxon's favorite toy was a little turquoise ball. He screeched with joy as he played with it (and he has continued to do so throughout the week.) He didn't pay any attention to his other gifts (except for the wrapping paper they came in), but I think he will like them more and more as the weeks go by. All and all, it was a lovely first birthday for our little boy.

Jaxon's first haircut

2009-09-30T10:06:00.000-07:00

This was my initial view of the haircut from the shower.
Jax really loves to sit in the sink. Both Chad and Jax had a good time with this new adventure.

Well, we will get this part right next time...

Baby Mullet be gone!

The end product was pretty cute...or maybe Jax is just cute...

A few weeks ago I was in the shower and I heard some snip snipping coming from outside the curtain. When I peeked out, I saw Jax sitting in the sink while Chad expertly trimmed his "baby mullet" as we affectionately called his pre-cut look. Jax did great during the haircut. He mainly focused on putting all three of our toothbrushes in his mouth and scattering the baby fine hair all over the counter. But at least he wasn't too wiggly. The end product was very cute. As his hair dried though, we saw that the hair around his right ear had been cut WAY too high. So he is a little uneven... but hair grows and we think he is too young to have any self-esteem issues about his first cut.

Paint By Numbers...Or Not...

2009-09-04T14:58:00.000-07:00

At first Jax needed a little help to get into painting...
Then he didn't need any help at all!

He progressively got dirtier and dirtier as the painting was created.

Our finished product was a beautiful painting and a beautiful painted boy

A close-up of the painting

Last Monday we painted a picture for Family Home Evening. We have been meaning to paint this picture for my parent's new guest bedroom for nearly a year now, but we've never known what to paint. Chad had the brilliant idea to just put some paint on a plate and let Jax go wild... and so we did. It ended up being a very fun and messy night. I like Jaxon's picture so much though that I hate to give it away. I think we are just going to have to do this activity again so I can get a Jaxon original in my house.

Family Photos

2009-09-04T14:41:00.000-07:00

Jax with his GG and Pops
I really love this picture of my two boys

I think Jax sort of looks like a cupie doll in this picture

The Daybell kids photo

Our little family... notice Jaxon's small horn in this picture....

We love to take pictures of Jax, but we've begun to realize that we are appearing in fewer and fewer shots. In an attempt to regain our identity without compromising our new found love of taking pictures of our boy, we decided to get family photos! Last time we were in Utah, dad took us to some pretty spots to get our pictures taken. My brother Paul and his wife also joined us in some of the pictures. All and all, I think they turned out really nice. Thanks Pops!!

My Boy, the Puppy...

2009-08-23T07:18:00.000-07:00

Ever since Jax has learned to crawl, he has acted more and more like a puppy dog. We hear him growling often, he puts balls in his mouth, and his favorite thing to do is dig through the trash... (We only allow him to handle the paper trash...what kind of mother do you think I am?) We've always wanted a dog, and his impersonation is very cute. I wonder what kind of animal he will be next week?

"Q" is for NesQuick...

2009-08-23T06:56:00.000-07:00

"A" is for Avocado
"B" is for Banana

"C" is for Carrot

"Q" is for Nesquick...

Jax and Dad posing at the store

One of our latest projects has been to create an "ABC" book for Jax using pictures of various grocery items. Last week we went to the grocery store to take the pictures. It started out great, "A" is for Avocado, "B" is for Banana, "C" is for Carrot...but we were stumped by the time we got to "Q." Chad had the bright idea that we should take a picture of 'Quick', you know, the chocolate milk mix. But when we got over there, we saw that it is actually called Nesquick. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't that product called 'Quick' when we I was a kid? When did it change to 'Nesquick,' and if it has changed, why would they do that to such a beloved American product? We just decided to take a picture of the Nesquick because we couldn't think of another grocery product that started with a "Q." Does anyone out there have any great ideas? I have this fear that Jax is always going to go around writing his "Q's" as "N's."

Harry Potter Party...Say THAT 5 Times Fast

2009-08-09T13:58:00.000-07:00

Most of the crew at the Harry Potter Party
Dallin, Kathy and Jacqueline represented the Huffelpuff House. They did well in their Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

Braydon, Tyler, Justin, and Lane were Slytherines for a day. Here they are in Herbology.

Ty with a live worm that he later ate for $5...

Damon, Dirk, Bryant, and Branson were in the Gryffindor House. Branson said he loved the Potions class the best.

Caden, Kara, Janelle, Quincy, and Alec were in the Ravenclaw house. Here they are making fortune cubes in Divination.

Last Saturday Chad and I threw a Harry Potter Party for our niece and nephews. Originally we were going to have it on the week that the new Harry Potter movie opened up, but because of busy schedules we ended up pushing it back a few weeks. Chad and I spent almost a month planning this party, and it actually turned out really cool.

We had our own sorting hat (a costume wizard hat with a baby monitor underneath so it could talk... Chad wrote sorting poems for everyone and read them in a fantastic British accent), that divided everyone up into the four Hogwarts Houses. Then we had four different classes, Divination where everyone made fortune cubes, Herbology where they had to rummage through a tub of live worms before planting a seed, Defense Against the Dark Arts where they read some scriptures, and Potions where they made a cornstarch and water potion that is a solid when you squeeze it in your hand and a liquid when you stop putting friction on it.

We also played a really fun game of Quidditch. It was kind of like soccer except everyone hit the ball with a broom instead of with their foot. We also hid a snitch in the park and the little kids acted as a seeker to find the snitch. The broomsticks I bought for the game were pretty cheap, and almost all of the ended up breaking within fifteen minutes, but the game turned out really fun.

We ended the night by going as family to see the Harry Potter Movie. We had to go to a late night showing because the party ran so long. Someone suggested that we should all wear our pajamas to the movie... and so we did. The movie did not disappoint. I think it is my favorite Harry Potter movie to date! All and all it was a really fun Harry Potter Party.

Sister's Weekend 09

2009-08-02T15:55:00.000-07:00

I've been to Vegas more times than I can count, but I've never seen the famous Vegas sign before
All the girls at the Bellagio on our night on the Vegas Strip

Preparing for our limo ride to Donny and Marie. We all had roses on our seats.

Jax, Jhair (Kareen's foster son) and me in the limo

Jax was in a constant state of nakedness... Do any babies wear close in Vegas?

Jax and Jhair on their way to play in the pool

Getting pedicures. We filled up the entire salon

Here we are at the Bingo Hall. We had such a good time there trying to keep up with the Bingo caller. Bingo can be hard work!

So, it has been about a month since we last published anything on the ol' blog. My only excuse is as old as it is lame... we've just been so busy! It seems like every two weeks or so we are either traveling, or someone is coming to visit. All this coming and going has made for a very short, but very fun summer. One of my favorite trips this summer was our first annual Sister's Weekend 09. My six sister-in-laws and mother-in-law all went to Vegas for the weekend. (My marriage to Chad is wonderful so for many reasons, but one of the most unintentional happy reasons is that I inherited 6 awesome sister-in-laws when I married him...for a girl who does not have any sisters, that is a big ol happy addition.)

Our weekend was jam-packed with fun activities. From swimming in the killer Vegas heat (really the only way to be outside in Vegas in July) to playing Bingo with a bunch of senior citizens who kept giving us dirty looks for being disruptive with our laughter. (Maybe the bingo god's were unhappy with our behavior, and that is why nobody one anything...) To riding in a limo to and from the Donny and Marie show (which was surprisingly 'rockin'). To having fun walking the Vegas strip (was that fun or just hot...) To eating a ton of great food at home (thanks to Kareen, the family's best cook) to eating at several fabulous establishments in Vegas (I never knew German food could taste so good! Plus, we got to see two drunk people's rear-ends... wait, that wasn't the positive part of the meal...) All and all it was a fabulous weekend full of laughs, new experiences, and fun memories.

Plus, Jax got a chance to meet his aunt Sheri for the first time and to spend time with his aunt Sue who he met when he was only a few weeks old. I can't wait for Sister's Weekend 10!

Anniversary Get Away

2009-06-19T16:14:00.000-07:00

Jax playing on the floor at our Bed and Breakfast
Jax with his Pops on an old railroad car at the Newport Museum

A picture overlooking the dam, right outside of Newport

Every year we try to go on a little vacation for our anniversary. So far we haven't done anything too fancy, but it is fun to just get away. This year Chad was in charge and he opted to invite my parents to come along too. It was a secret get away and we were all surprised that we ended up in a little bed and bath in Newport, Washington. The town is tiny but beautiful. The bed and bath was nice too. We found out that the owner's son and daughter-in-law actually served their missions with Chad. Small world... no really.

Newport is about 1 1/2 hours away from Coeur d'Alene. We had never been up in that area before and it was fun to see some of the scenic sights of North Idaho and Washington. We stopped by several lakes and saw a big dam as well. It could have been boring, but the company was great and I think everyone involved had a fun time.

The best part of the trip happened in Spirit Lake, Idaho. We had just been down to see Spirit Lake and were getting back onto the main road out of town when we heard a siren behind us. Chad pulled over and an officer got out. He asked Chad if he knew why he had been pulled over, Chad honestly could not answer. The officer said, "You blew past me going 26 miles per hour." (Note the verb in that sentence...) Apparently, the road coming up from the lake has a speed limit of 15 miles per hour. (I've never seen a speed limit that low anywhere). Chad got a $75 dollar ticket for going 26 miles per hour... You got to love small towns!

Learning to Sleep

2009-05-23T20:47:00.000-07:00

This shot was taken on a night when we got home late. Jax couldn't even make it through his bottle before falling fast asleep.

Jax had fallen asleep in his car seat and fell asleep again against my cheek as I took him up to bed.

Throughout Jaxon's life he has struggled with taking naps. He has been a good nighttime sleeper since about 3 months, but he could never quite get the hang of naps. When he was a newborn I would spend sometimes an hour trying to get him to sleep. When I finally got him down, he would sleep for twenty minutes tops before waking up again. Needless to say, I didn't get a lot done. From age 4 to 6 months, he started going down in his crib after only ten or fifteen minutes of pre-nap prep and would sleep for over thirty minutes. (I thought I was in heaven!) Then last week out of nowhere, he suddenly started to fall asleep on his own. I now can lay him in his crib when he is completely awake and he falls asleep on his own. No tears, no fuss, and he sleeps over an hour!!! I have no idea what has happened to my son, but I'll take it!

Sign Language Class

2009-05-23T20:33:00.001-07:00

Jax went swinging for the first time today. He enjoyed it, but was unsure at first.

Jax with his sign language teacher and classmates. It was a super fun class!

For the past month we have taken a baby sign language class with Jax. We've learned how to sign about food, sleeping, diapers, and animals. Today was our last day and we went to the park to learn about park things. The class has been really fun and although Jax has yet to actually sign, it has been awesome to have a set period of time to simply devote to him. He is completely entertained by our silly songs and even sillier attempts to sign while we sing. I think Chad missed his true calling in life which is to be a children's t.v. personality. He kept all the babies entertained in the class.

Family Fun Jar

2009-05-07T16:32:00.000-07:00

Jax posing with the "Family Fun Jar"

A few weeks ago, Chad and I decided to revamp Family Home Evening. We have never been very consistent, and we decided it was time to change. To aid us in our transition, we put together a "Family Fun Jar" which contains 30 or so activities. Each Monday we pull from the jar and have a randomly selected activity for the next week. The person who chooses the activity is in charge of planning it and the other person is in charge of a short lesson. So far, so good! It makes actually having Family Home easier to have when it is already planned for us.

Sitting Up

2009-05-07T16:26:00.000-07:00

Jax has reached a new milestone... he can now sit up all by himself! The length of actual sitting up time various from hour to hour depending on how tired he is. If he is feeling groggy, there will be NO sitting. However, sometimes he can sit by himself for minutes at a time with no assistance at all. I'm going to enjoy this active, but still immobile phase for as long as I can...

You got to roll with it...

2009-04-16T17:01:00.000-07:00

Here is one of the unused pictures from last week's photo shoot. We got a really cute profile of him smiling, but this "shocked" pose really cracks me up.

Chad and I comment how Jax changes virtually every week. One week he finds blowing raspberries hilarious, the next he is entertained by cooing "ah, ah, ah." This week he has found side sleeping to be the latest rage. Whenever we lay him down he turns immediately on his side and falls asleep. The last few nights he has taken it to a whole new level... midway through the night he continues his roll and ends up on his stomach with his arms pinned beneath him. During the day getting out of this position is no problem, but it becomes a catastrophe when he finds himself on his stomach at night. He actually has a specific, "HELP! I'VE ROLLED OVER AND I CAN'T GET OUT!!!!" scream. We have found it delightful to wake up to in the middle of the night... We think this new little phase is cute, but we're pretty excited for when he learns that he can just roll over and everything will be fine again. It's funny to see how many things he has to learn, and how applying that seemingly simple knowledge will really make a difference in his life. Being a baby is tough work!

china baby

2009-04-05T14:25:00.000-07:00

When I lived in China nearly nine years ago, I often saw little babies wearing beautiful silk outfits. I left without buying one, and kicked myself for nearly two years until I went back to Hong Kong on my mission. This time around, I bought two outfits. One for an infant, and one for a toddler. Let's flash forward about five years... Jax is finally ready to put it on and have his picture taken. It's a cute outfit, but it is absolutely adorable with such a cute boy inside. I'm planning to take a picture of all my babies in it at some point.

Hey Lady, My Bug, My Pearl

2009-04-05T14:06:00.000-07:00

Last week was my birthday, and I've been meaning to write about it all week long. Chad has every Monday off, so although my birthday was actually Tuesday, we opted to celebrate it on Monday. Chad asked me to wear a dress to work that day and then picked me up for lunch. We went down to the resort to have lunch at the beautiful restaurant overlooking Lake Coeur d'Alene. When we arrived at the resort, the valets opened my door and said, "Happy Birthday, Mrs. Anderson." When we got up to the restaurant, we were led to a corner table which had a lake view from two sides. A bouquet of flowers was sitting on the table from Chad, and as soon as we sat down he gave me some beautiful jewelry. Needless to say, Chad did a good job...

We had a fabulous lunch and when we were finishing, our waiter brought us out a special cake made out of cotton candy with a scoop of ice cream inside the cake. I'm not much of a cotton candy fan, but it was really cute and we picked at it for awhile. After we had been picking at it for about ten minutes, Chad grabbed a piece and was pulling it into his mouth when I saw something black move. He pulled his hand back and we realized that it was a live beetle scurrying around. At this point, we stopped eating the cake... When the waiter came back to check on us, we showed him the beetle which was still happily scurrying around the cake. The waiter immediately picked up the plate and ran into the kitchen. A few minutes later the chef personally came out and apologized, and said that they would comp our lunch for us. Additionally, he made us a molten lava cake (my favorite) that wasn't even on the menu. All and all, it turned out to be a great lunch! We enjoyed great food, that we didn't have to pay for,and now have a great story to tell. All because of a little beetle. Now we're tempted to bring our own beetle whenever we go out! BYOB. :)

Eating Solids

2009-03-31T08:35:00.000-07:00

This picture doesn't really look like Jax, but it is cute all the same
This was taken before it got really messy

He sure enjoyed himself

This is Jax and his first bite

Last Saturday we brought out the video camera for a big event...Jaxon started eating solids! The word "solid" in this context is relative because his "solid" cereal was really just watery mush to everyone with teeth. Most of the cereal ended up on his chin and shirt, but it was fun to try it out. We're now on day three and he is much more proficient at eating his cereal. Another day, another milestone...

High Chair Fun

2009-03-22T16:40:00.001-07:00

Jax was all smiles in his new high chair
We named the two new toys on his tray "Hershey" and "Artemis"

This is probably the cleanest he will ever be sitting in this chair again

This week we finally put together Jax's high chair in anticipation for him beginning solid food. We've been letting him sit in the chair while we eat dinner or play card games so he can feel more like he is apart of the situation. So far, so good. His GG and Papa are coming up for a visit next week and we are saving actually starting him on solid foods until their arrival so they can be apart of this milestone. I'm guessing it is going to be a messy time. We'll take pictures...

Wet Willy, In Cake Form

2009-03-17T08:10:00.000-07:00

Jaxon's reaction to the cake...

Wet Willy in cake form

One Sunday our nephew Branson turned nine and I volunteered to make the cake for his birthday celebration. In a previous post I wrote about my love for the T.V. show Ace of Cakes and how I am absolutely fascinated by cake decorating. So on Sunday I decided to try my own hand at making a cool cake. Branson had a pet fish named Wet Willy who died recently, so I decided to pay homage to the fish and make a cake after his image. The result was pretty armature, but I was pleased. I'm already thinking of cakes to make in the future!

Jaxon's latest

2009-03-12T15:08:00.000-07:00

Jax in his frog jumper... It keeps him a busy boy. Translation: Mom's favorite toy!

Jax has developed several new tricks these past few weeks that are keeping us laughing almost constantly. The first trick: Jax will smile whenever we stick our tongue out and make a "blghhh" sound. So pretty much Chad and I spend our day making fart sounds with our tongue. We look ridiculous, but it's worth it. I think Jaxon is well on his way to becoming a true boy and enjoying fart jokes.

Trick two: The Tickle Grunt. Jax has yet to truely giggle. However, he has taken to grunting whenever we tickle him. It's pretty cute, and a little wierd... He also does a horse neigh that is spot on. I'm not sure what it means when he does it, but he seems to enjoy himself.

And finally, the third trick: Raspberries. That's right, Jaxon has learned to do raspberries with his mouth. We pretty much hear him doing it all the time. In fact, I just now heard him do it over the baby monitor. I guess he just woke up... This boy is changing every day.

March Snow and Sprained Ankles

2009-03-12T15:00:00.001-07:00

It's hard to see the swelling in this picture, but Chad pretty much has a cankle. Very nice...

Although we are well into March, old man winter is still alive and well in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Last Sunday we woke up to a few inches of snow in our driveway and slick roads. Chad went out early in the morning and ended up slipping on the ice and hurting his ankle. He went to the emergency room because he heard a loud pop when he fell, and he wasn't sure if he broke it or not. We opted to not take Jax to the ER because we didn't want him around sick people, so Chad make the trek on his own... Nearly three hours after arriving at the ER, he learned that his ankle was sprained and not actually broken. The doctor put him in a brace and wished him well. It has now been four days since the fall and his ankle is still huge and swollen. He reports that it still hurts, but he is learning to deal with the pain better. He is one slow mover, but isn't one to complain about it.

Chad's favorite photo

2009-02-27T20:44:00.000-08:00

Jaxon has really been exploring with his hands lately and grabs onto almost anything he can. Today's choice: Dad's nose. While Jax was sleeping on his dad's chest, his hand mysteriously wound up holding Chad's nose. He kept it there throughout his nap. Good thing Chad didn't have to sneeze...

On the mend

2009-02-27T20:33:00.000-08:00

Jax's new favorite seat... discovered by his father

The nebulizer has a Binky attachment that makes the breathing treatment a snap! There is a little hole in the top of the Binky where the medicine comes out and goes into his nose.

We do this every night before bed. Jaxon has started to help me hold on to the machine.

This week has been SOOO much better than last week. On Tuesday Jaxon started showing signs of improvement and has steadily gotten better every day. Today I only heard him cough twice. His energy is back as is his appetite...I forgot how much that boy likes to eat! We still need to give him the nebulizer at night before bed, but other than that everything seems to be getting back to normal. Whew.

RSV is NO fun!

2009-02-22T14:28:00.000-08:00

Last Monday Jax woke up with a cough and had trouble eating all day. We thought he might have an ear infection, so we decided to take him in to the doctor to get him checked out. After the doctor gave him a thorough once over, he diagnosed him as having an upper respiratory infection. However, he wanted to run a check for RSV "just in case." They conduct the test by putting a little swab up the baby's nose. Jaxon HATED it!! I've heard my baby scream before, but never like that. It turns out that Jax did in fact have RSV. The doctor explained to us that RSV is like a cold on steroids, and he told us that Jax would probably be contagious for 3 to 4 weeks... The really sad part is that there really isn't too much you can give a baby with RSV. He is on a nebulizer to help him with his breathing, but other than that it is pretty much up to Jax to fight this on his own.

We are now into day six of having a sick baby, and it has not been fun. Jaxon is a super trooper and has maintained his sweet nature and smiles throughout the yucky coughs, stuffed up nose, and the dreaded bulb syringe used to suck out his nose several times a day (Poor guy, he starts crying when he even sees the bulb syringe). It has also been hard because we have tried to keep him in a humidified room as much as possible. We set up a T.V. in our bedroom and have a radio in their to aid us in finding something to do during the day. We have also taken a few steps backward in the sleep arena. Jaxon was finally able to go down for naps and give us some time to get things done. Now, he wants to be held all time and especially when he is sleeping. I can understand why, whenever we put him down he starts to cough and wakes himself up. Hopefully we can get back on track once he feels better again.

I think Jax has made it over the hump and that he will start to get better this week. We'll keep everyone posted!

Vicki's 8

2009-02-06T20:39:00.000-08:00

8 TV Shows or Movies I watch regularly
1. The Office. I can't say enough good things about this show!
2. American Idol. I discovered I really like this show when you can cutt out all the crap... thank you T-Vo.
3. So You Think You Can Dance. I look forward to this one all year long.
4. Lost. Although I'm a little disenchanted by this one lately. I mostly just watch this because of Chad.
5. Pushing Daisies. We discovered this one right before it was canceled. Dang it!
6. Ace of Cakes. I love this cake decorating show and dream that someday I could make a cake look that cool...
7. HDTV. I watch this chanel whenever I am feeding Jaxon. It's nice because I don't have to acutally pay too close attention.
8. Forensic Files on True TV. Chad loves this show and it takes up most of our space on the T-Vo. I do not watch this show on my own, however.

8 Things that happened yesterday.
1. Jaxon slept for 12 hours! I woke up excited, then nervous, then I got excited again after I checked on him.
2. Went to work and had clinical staffings. During the meeting we staffed a kiddo who has a possible Asburgers diagnosis. Throughout the discussion, I learned that many of these kiddos fixate on colors... it was good stuff.
3. Picked Jaxon up from the sitters, and saw him interacting with her 5 month old granddaughter. She would goo and then he would goo in reply. SOO Cute!
4. Talked to my friend Jess who is going to have a baby anyday now... I'm so excited for her!
5. Chad came home early from work because he didn't feel well. I was sad that he was sick, but still so happy to see him 5 hours earlier.
6. Went to Costco to pick up some pictures of Jaxon. Opening up the photo envelope was my favorite part of the day.
7. Fed Jaxon every 2 1/2 to 3 hours, and helped him take a nap in between that time as well. He keeps me busy for sure!
8. Had a chance to spend time with Chad after Jaxon went to bed.

8 Favorite places to EAT
1. Thai Bamboo (Love that Thai Food)
2. The Bombay House (A great Indian resturant in Salt Lake and Provo)
3. The White House Grill (It is a Italian/Greek place with TONS of garlic. We have a rule in our house that we can only go to this resturant together. If only one spouse goes the other has to smell garlic coming off them for two days...not pretty.)
4. Red Lobster (I love those garlic cheese biscuts!)
5. Qudoba (It's a burrito chain in Northern Idaho...soo good.)
6. P.F. Changs
7. Arby's (my go to fast food joint)
8. Wherever we happen to be going for Random Day (Each month we randomly select a resturant we haven't gone to and go with our friends...it is such a fun tradition that it almost doesn't matter where we eat.)

8 People I tag.. lucky you..
1. Woggs and Alison
2. Chad
3. Emily
4. Robyn
5. Jessica and Justin
6. Akeey
7. Karen and Trevor
8. Cassie

GG, This One's For You...

2009-01-30T21:12:00.001-08:00

Isn't the crooked bow tie so cute?

Today we had pictures taken of Jaxon in his blessing outfit. He was blessed nearly a month ago, but his outfit hasn't fit until this week. He looked very dapper in his little tuxedo complete with a bow tie and tails. My friend Jessica took the pictures and did a great job. My mom (and Jaxon's GG) specially requested that I post some of the pictures so she could see them. I guess snail mail isn't fast enough anymore.

He Slept Through the Night!!!

2009-01-29T15:09:00.001-08:00

That's right, last night Jaxon slept from 8:30 pm until 6 am!!! Horray! Of course, I woke up every few hours, but I guess that is how it goes....

Welcome Back...

2009-01-29T14:42:00.000-08:00

I started back to work Monday morning after nearly four months of maternity leave. I had been dreading this day for nearly four months, but it didn't turn out nearly as bad as I had feared. Stepping back into the Children's Village was really like stepping back home in some ways. I forgot how much I missed adult conversations (however, juvenile those conversations might be sometimes) :) and how much I missed having therapy sessions with my clients. Four of my eleven clients are still at the Village and it was so good to see them again.

What really made the transition easier, however, is how well Jax is handling it all. I have to admit that there is a part of me that sort of wants him to just melt whenever he isn't with his mom...but a bigger part of me is relieved that he does okay all the time. Chad will be staying home with him on Mondays and then he will be at the sitters for only 8 hours throughout the rest of the week. Still a hard transition, but I'm grateful that it has so far seemed to be harder for mom than on Jax.

Things I've Done

2009-01-20T15:47:00.000-08:00

THINGS I HAVE DONE...
I saw this on a friend's blog and thought it was fun! Just Bold the ones you have done and then post it on your blog!
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland or Disneyworld
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Olde Faithful Geyser Erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie or on a TV show
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Had an encounter with a wild animal
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets, or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a Jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Taken a martial arts class

Our Entertaining Boy

2009-01-19T16:45:00.000-08:00

I love this picture. :)

This is a fun game... you squish Jaxon's cheecks with his feet! He pulls a funny face and everyone is happy...

Jaxon fell asleep with his finger in this position...we didn't know why, and it really didn't look very comfortable, but he kept his finger there for nearly an hour...

The last few days we have discovered how hilariously entertaining Jaxon can be! From making up dances for him to perform to posing him in various poses for pictures, we have so much fun that we don't even need t.v. anymore. Poor boy...

Christmas, New Years, and Baby Blessings...whew

2009-01-05T13:13:00.001-08:00

Our last week of 2008 turned out to be a very busy, but happy one. We went down to Salt Lake to visit with my family and to bless Jax. We were worried that our flight to Salt Lake would be canceled due to poor weather conditions. However, when we got to the airport we were told that not only was our flight NOT canceled, but that, due to so few people flying that day, we could bump our flight up by two hours!! Turns out we sat on the runway for those two hours and arrived in Salt Lake only a few minutes later than our original flight was scheduled...

We had a great time in Salt Lake and it was so fun to see the family again. It was also fun to introduce everyone to Jaxon. He was a smash hit. On the 27th, Jaxon and his cousin Kaden were blessed. Kaden was a very reverant baby, but Jaxon let everyone know that his lungs are in perfect condition... I tried to write down what Chad was saying in the blessing, but he talked so fast (due to a crying baby I think) that I only got the first line recorded.It was a beautiful blessing though.

Jaxon's First Christmas!

2008-12-26T22:28:00.001-08:00

Jaxon with his stuffed bear
Jaxon fell asleep right after we started opening presents, maybe he was just too *dazzled* by his dad's incredible bed head...

Jax in his Christmas PJ's

Looking startled in a Santa Cap...

We had a wonderful Christmas this year, and our little Jaxon made it even better. We figured this would be the only year that we could get away with getting him something practical, so we started him a college fund account... which exactly what every two month old wants for Christmas. (The real joy is that two month olds really don't know what is going on yet, so a college fund account really is an acceptable gift!) We also started a children's book library for him (another thing he was super excited about.) Jaxon ended up falling asleep two minutes into our present opening and didn't wake up until we were almost done with Christmas. Something tells me though that he will NEVER be this quiet at Christmas again...

Ugly Sweater Party

2008-12-26T22:19:00.000-08:00

This year we were introduced to the joy of the "Ugly Sweater Party." Our friends the Scarboroughs threw the party and it was the hit of our holiday season. Chad, of course, took the theme very seriously and went to a total of four thrift stores until he found the perfect ugly sweater. He finally settled on a pool themed sweater complete with large 8 balls and pool sticks. The sweater also came with a bonus cigarette and old man scent that smelled just about as good as it looked. As it turns out, his diligence paid off and he took home the prize for the ugliest sweater of the night. Although my sweater didn't win, it was also a peach... the best part of the sweater was the tight wrist sleeves that flared out mid forearm and the off balance shoulders which were a result of a missing shoulder pad.

We had a great time at the party and very much enjoyed the food, company, and of course, the theme... We hope we are invited to an Ugly Sweater Party every year... hint, hint.

Snow Day!!

2008-12-18T08:39:00.000-08:00

Last week I was walking around without a coat on and thinking to myself, "Hmm, I wonder if we will have ANY snow for Christmas?" Let's fast forward to Wednesday when it started snowing around 8 am and hasn't stopped snowing for 24 hours.... The news stated that we woke up this morning with 23 inches of snow! This is a picture taken from inside our garage and is of our big Dodge Dakota truck that is so tall that I needed to take a flying leap to get into when I was pregnant. It is pretty covered.

All the schools in the area are closed and the news stated that police officers "don;t want to seee anyone out on the roads unless it is an emergency. Chad is still waiting to see if he needs to go into work today... hopefully not. I guess the answer to my question is, "Yes Megan, there will be snow for Christmas!"

Jaxon's Smiling!

2008-12-16T13:29:00.001-08:00

Doesn't he look like a concerned politician in this picture? Or maybe a barber shop singer... You decide.

Mom and Dad got Jaxon this cute church outfit. We were going to wait until Christmas to put it on him, but we just couldn't stand to wait that long. You can't really see it in the picture, but he was wearing a little tie. So cute!

This was a joyous occassion... Jaxon actually fell asleep in his chair rather than our arms!

This was the best picture I could get of Jax's smile... sometimes it is really big... and cute. :)

So, about twelve days ago we had a new development in the Anderson household... that's right, Jaxon started to smile!! Chad and I now spend the majority of our day speaking in REALLY high voices and pulling faces just to see our sweet baby smile at us. It's the best entertainment we've had all year! And within the last few days he has also given us a slight sound whenever he smiles. Is it indigestion? NO! We are calling it a giggle, even if the sounds more like an Ewak (spelling? you know from Star Wars...) than an actual laugh.

Plus, the really good news... Jaxon has started to let us put him down. Two days ago he even fell asleep in his chair! This is huge, because he NEVER falls asleep anywhere except our arms. We took a picture to commemorate the event and the flash woke him up... opps. Next time I'll just take a mental picture.

Back to Bethlahem

2008-12-11T07:27:00.000-08:00

Jaxon was wrapped in a swaddle during the production, but went back to his puppy pj's for pictures.

One December 5th, our ward had its annual Christmas party. This year, we had a "Back to Bethlehem" theme and our family was asked to play the nativity family. The Activities Committee did a fabulous job of making the gym look like a market place in Bethlehem. Everyone had to bring a can of food as our "taxes." In exchange for the food we were given a bag of coins that we could spend at the different stands in the marketplace. The stands were mostly dedicated to food and included a fruit stand, a pita and humus stand, a lamb and rice stand, and a dessert stand with toasted nuts and candied orange peels. The food was outstanding!

After everyone mingled in the market place for a while, Chad and I came into the gym dressed as Mary and Joseph. The had me ride this great handmade donkey that Chad pulled with a rope. (I wish I had a picture of it!!) We wondered around the marketplace looking for someplace that would "Let Us In." When we first entered the gym, I was a little embarrassed to be the center of so much attention. However, after a few minutes of meandering our way through people while trying to be in character, I was really touched with how difficult Mary and Joseph's situation was. Soon I was crying and Chad had to stop several times to wipe away my tears. Many people told us how "authentic" we look, but our tears were real. The spirit really touched us.

After wandering through the marketplace, we entered the stage with Jaxon as a narrator read the Christmas story from Luke 2. I was terrified that Jaxon would not be a "meek and mild" baby Jesus, but he did great. The only time he fussed was during the song "Silent Night." The irony of hearing the words, "Silent Night" followed by a crying a baby was actually pretty cute and he was able to settle down quickly.

After the production was over, we had many people come up and ask to have their picture with us. We felt like Santa Clause as the ward's children stood on stage to have a photo with us. Several little children asked if they could see Baby Jesus, and then proceeded to just stand there and stare at Jaxon. When they left the stage, they would say, "Goodbye Jesus. Goodbye Mary. Goodbye Joseph." So cute! We know these kids well, but when we were in costume, they treated us like we were some Disney character. It ended up being a wonderful night.

2008-12-04T09:40:00.000-08:00

This is a candid shot... we were trying to get him to calm down to take a family photo. When we saw this picture we couldn't stop laughing... I guess we have the same style of quieting our baby...

Jax's birth announcement. My favorite part is his HUGE wrist roll...

I know we have several viewers of this blog that we don't have physical addresses for, so I thought I would post Jaxon's birth announcement and our family Christmas ard so everyone could feel included. So everyone... Merry Christmas and Happy Baby!

Thanksgiving Fun

2008-11-30T08:31:00.000-08:00

Jax in his favorite monkey hat

Just stretching...

Mom and Dad gave Jax this Triceratops when he was born. He already has started to ride it...with his parents help.

Jax's favorite pose... does he look like a Raptor ready to attack to anyone else? Maybe it is just the red eyes...

So, it has been a little while since our last blog... Jaxon has been keeping us extra busy lately because he has grown into his, "I Don't Want To Be Put Down Even If You Have To Use The Bathroom" phase. The past few weeks I have literally had only about 30 minutes a day to myself. I'll admit, it has been a little frustrating to not be able to put on my pants without my baby shedding tears (that's right! He has developed tears!! It is so sad to see, but we are excited for this latest development.) However, whenever I pick him up again he actually makes a "Ahh," sound that just melts my heart. It is fun to know that he likes spending time with us. :)

We just got back from our Thanksgiving trip down to Shelley to see the grandparents. We stayed with Chad's mom and my parents also came up to spend a few days. The weekend was all about Jaxon, as it should have been, and everyone had a great time fawning over our little boy. It was perfect for him because with four eager grandparents, he literally did not get put down once. Chad said that he was having Jaxon withdrawls because he had so little time to hold him. Jax did a great job with the drive and cried for maybe 40 minutes of the entire 20 hour drive. He is such a sweet baby, and was the smash hit of Thanksgiving. To quote one of my favorite children's books, Where the Wild Things Are, we want to "Eat him up, we love him so!"

Cute Baby Picture of the Week

2008-11-12T15:16:00.001-08:00

Jaxon's favorite sucking device... Dad's thumb. Look how light his hair has gotten!

Ahh, sleeping like a baby... Jax fights so hard to not fall asleep, but when he finally does, he is out for the count...

Best Birthday Gift Ever...

2008-11-12T13:02:00.001-08:00

Chad and Elder Header putting up the shelf... and paying homage to Hitler...?
Chad putting away the goods...

Birthdays have always been a time of joy and excitement for me. Although my birthday is still 5 months away, I have never been more excited to celebrate... That's right- mom and dad gave us a food storage "Shelf-Reliance" shelf for our birthdays (Chad's birthday is in a week and a half). The Shelf-Reliance system is AWESOME. It stores hundreds of cans and works like the soup cans in the grocery store which rotate themselves once you take the first can out so the oldest can is always the one you use first. Brilliant I tell you!

Chad and I were so excited while we put together our beloved Shelf-Reliance until the thought occurred to us that we were gushing over a food storage aide... were we really that OLD to be excited over something so practical? The sad truth is, "Yes." It is funny how priorities change over the years. There was once a day when the typical things that I got really excited about were pretty hair clips or new shoes. Today however, it is the everyday practical stuff that I never had interest in before that really gets my heart beating. Last week I almost wet my pants when I learned that JoAnne's fabric was have a huge sale on thread.... I guess it is a sad but almost inevitable truth that at some point you have to grow up a little bit and desire things you actually need... I'm just worried because I'm only in my mid-twenties... what is the rest of my life going to be like?

10 days old

2008-11-03T14:39:00.000-08:00

After Jaxon's first bath

Jaxon has reached ten days old already! And he has changed so much in that short time. It took him a few days to learn how to eat and a few more to sleep in his bassinette for more than a few minutes. By day six Megan and I were up to 2-3 hours of sleep at a time, by working as a team. Now he's beginning to work himself up before bed, needing to be rocked and calmed. He's waking up less at night, sleeping a bit less during the day, and starting to make brief moments of eye contact with us. We've only taken him out of the house 3 times: to the doctor for his circumcision, to Braydon's baptism, and to our friends the Dollahites (they just had a baby, too). Jaxon is very sweet-natured and a natural cuddler. After he gets full on milk, he just kind of collapses over onto whoever is holding him. Dad's favorite time is holding Jaxon on his chest while he sleeps. He's had two baths. And he's only gotten really angry once, when the nurse performed the big c. He was NOT a happy baby for a few minutes. But he's healthy and well and we are completely enamored by this new little world-rocking center of the Anderson universe. Here's some more pictures for everyone to enjoy.

In addition, THANK you so much to those who have sent gifts, brought meals, called to check on us, or sent letters. It is so wonderful to feel the support of loved ones during this time of celebration (and exhaustion). The biggest thanks go to Megan's parents, who are finally grandparents (they've been old for a really long time), for staying with us a week, helping out, and getting to know this sweet little boy.

Dad's favorite time

Somehow even funny-looking babies are sweet-looking...

Dad's off to church. This is Jaxon's Mr. Roar outfit.

Halloween

Jaxon's glow-in-the-dark skeleton costume and pumpkin hat, as provided by GG and Pops.

Grandma O with Jaxon, Branson, and Braydon

Grandma O's first few mintues with Jaxon

Cousin Braydon

ROAR!Dad's first time using the Moby.

Jaxon's first nap in his little swing thing.

Sweet little boy.

Another bath photo

Our good friends the Coopers in their first visit with Jaxon. That is their son Michael. We want them to play together, but we'll have to refer to them as Jaxon and Michael, not Michael and Jaxon...

Proud Pops

Another picture of Jaxon napping

Baby Nicknames

2008-11-02T07:37:00.000-08:00

When Megan and I were dating, we would often call each other crazy nicknames like "Megs" and "Chadders." I know, we like to live dangerously. But the day we got married, with no seeming effort, we lost our names and started calling each other babe, honey, sweetheart, and other cootie-filled terms. It's a rare occasion when I hear my wife call me Chad. It's kind of weird, actually, when that does happen.

So now that Jaxon is 9 days old, we have been calling him all sorts of cutesy names. Megan uses all these darling sobriquets like Honey-Bear (as in "oh, honey bear, don't cry") and Cuddle-Bug (as in "he's such a cuddle-bug!"). My nicknames for him are much cooler. For example, before eats, he does the rooting and sucking reflex stuff and I simply have to call him suck-face. I mean, his face is sucking and there is nothing there! It's not as mean as it sounds. Try it. "Oh, are you hungry little suck-face?" See, it's cute! Megan and her mom do not really approve. I also enjoy the name Mr. Roar. He has a little hat with a lion that says "ROAR!" on it, and that becomes his nickname when he wears the hat. Another that Megan and I agree on is Little Pteradactyl, cause he sounds like one when he gives us his high-pitched screech.

So to summarize: Honey-Bear, Cuddle-Bug, Suck-Face, Mr. Roar, and Little Pteradactyl. Do you have a favorite? Should we continue to expand the list, or just stick to what we've got?

Loving being a parent, Chad

Jaxon's first pictures!!!

2008-10-25T16:14:00.000-07:00

Baby is here!!!!

2008-10-25T15:43:00.000-07:00

On the morning of Thursday, October 23, Jaxon's due date, Megan woke up with contractions in her lower... regions, and her kind and loving husband (betcha can't guess who is authoring this portion of the blog for the first time) convinced her to get checked out. The midwife looked her over and told her early labor had started, but we needed to wait for contractions to get much closer together. So she spent the day doing what any 9month pregnant woman does... walking, cooking, making a quilt, pretty much anything but resting. But we got the house all clean and ready to come home to, packed the car, and by 3 pm, contractions were 7 minutes apart.

We went in to the hospital, got admitted, and they put Megan on a monitor. The contractions pretty much... quit right then. They nearly sent us home, but gave us an hour to walk around, and when we came back, labor had officially started. Megs waited about three hours through very painful contractions before she got the epidural. Then we both tried (unsuccessfully) sleeping as the 17 year old girl next door screamed obscenities through her particularly painful labor.

Around 1:45 am heavy labor started. The nurse came in and helped Megan position for her first practice push while the midwife was still on her way. Megan tried it and SPLOOSH!, her water broke like a super soaker blast, striking the wall (and rolling down) four feet away and dousing the nurse's hair and clothes. Another nurse had just walked past. Fate was on her side.

Soon the regular pushing began. I really thought I would be unable to watch the birth part itself, but surprisingly I did great, and was thrilled through the entire thing. Jaxon came out in about 8-12 pushes, really easy, which was a relief because he'd had a brief scare earlier when his heartrate dropped due to the cord being around his neck. He was very purple his first few minutes, but immediately cuddly with these giant chubby cheeks. Megs and I were both awestruck, proud, amazed, in love, and really really humbled by the whole experience.

Well Jaxon is now 36 hours old. He looks a bit different and has developed a small set of lungs that seemed to be absent his first day. He's having a hard time learning to feed, but is about the sweetest thing either of us have ever seen. Megan's parents are here to help now and we are thrilled.

Thank you all so much for sharing in this excitment with us! We'll post more stories and pictures once we can count the total hours of sleep we've had in three days on more than five fingers. That's both of us. Together. Five hours. Total. :D

Calling All Remedies!

2008-10-21T10:46:00.001-07:00

Okay, we're still waiting... in an attempt to fill my time, and in an effort to bring a real gem to the pregnancy world, I am compiling a comprehensive list of Labor Inducing Strategies. I've gathered several already, but am still looking for that one of a kind strategy that will kick me into labor!

Here is the list so far:

-Take a long walk, or if you're feeling extra good, go jogging...
- Eat eggplant
- Watch Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Arc (this one is a personal favorite of mine) :)
- Have sex
- Take pulsatillia (an herb) three times a day
- Eat lasagna
- Eat spicy food
-Walk with one leg on the curb, and another on the street
- Drink caster oil
- Try nipple stimulation to trick the body into thinking you are ready to breast feed
- Walk stairs

All right all you old wives, I'd like to hear some tales! If any of you could add to my list, I would greatly appreciate it. :) Let's see if we can get Baby Jaxon born anytime soon...

Still Waiting!!

2008-10-17T08:13:00.000-07:00

This has been a week of waiting and it is driving my nuts! So, Monday we went to the Doctor to have our weekly checkup. She told us that she typically starts checking on women's dilation progress around week 39. However, she stated that she would be willing to check me that day if we were curious. Chad and my eyes locked and in mere nanoseconds we established that YES, we were curious. She went about her business of checking and a few moments later made a "hmmm..." sound. Now, I don't know if you have ever heard the "hmmm..." sound from your doctor, but it made us a little bit anxious to say the least. "Well," she said, "It looks like you are about 70% effaced and dilated to a 3."

I wish I had a camera at this point to capture the look on Chad's face when he heard this news. His eyes became huge (please refer to Chad's individual Phantom of the Opera picture for an example of just how huge Chad's eyes can become.) He happened to be chewing on one of his nails, and his hand froze by his mouth in mid-chew. I think he might have bit down a little too hard when he heard the news because his nail bed was bleeding a little bit when he finally pulled his hand away. (I'm picking on Chad here, only because I didn't actually SEE my face, but I'm sure it was also pretty shocked.) Chad stammered, "A 3... don't you go into the hospital when you're dilated to a 4?!" Our doctor casually informed us that my current situation could mean a variety of things, but that she assummed the baby would probably come before my due date. That was the only thing we needed to hear!

The minute we left the doctor's office I called up mom. She is one of my favorite people to share news with because she just gets so darn excited. It took me a minute to get ahold of her, but once I finally did the pay off was great. There was a mixture of excitment, tears, and anxiousness in her voice as she heard the news, and instantly I could sense that she had already charged head long into what I refer to as her "Bustling, Action Mode." She stated that she had gone into labor within 24 hours of being checked with both my brother and myself. This statement REALLY did me in, and I too began my own personal Bustling Action Mode complete with rapid hand movements and an inability to carry on a conversation because my mind is too busy thinking about all the millions of possibilities I should plan for... Like mother, like daughter.

All day long, Chad and I waited for the first signs of a contraction. Nothing. That night before bed we gave ourselves a pep-talk that this might be the last night in years that we don't have a little one in the house. We fell asleep with dreams of changing diapers and midnight feedings dancing around in our heads. When we awoke, we disappointedly discovered again that NOTHING had happened. Now, it is Friday, and this pattern has continued to repeat itself for the past 5 days. NOTHING!!! It is driving us up the wall! My bustling action mode has turned into lathargic sit still mode, and it is not nearly as exciting. Maybe if we stop expecting that something will happen, it actually might... Like that will be possible... We'll keep everyone posted on the latest comings and goings (but hopefully just the comings) of Jaxon!

Nursery Madness

2008-10-14T11:53:00.001-07:00

So, this blog is mostly for the benefit of Grandma Rasmussen... she made a special request that I post some pictures of the nursery. Grandma, if you ask, I will provide! A few notes about the nursery. Mom and Dad bought us the crib during my first trimester. I love cherry wood, so naturally I opted for the beautiful crib in the cherry wood finish. However, right before I bought the crib, a thought occurred to me, "Megan, is cherry wood just a little bit too regal for an infant? Do you think the crib in the honey finish would do the job better?" "No!" I replied to myself, "Jaxon will share his mother's love of cherry wood... it is the favorite finish of antique Chinese furniture... how could he not LOVE it?" And so I bought the cherry wood crib.

Now, lets flash forward a few months to when we began looking to decorate Jaxon's room. Originally I was thinking ducks... and then Winnie the Pooh... then my friend Ellie gave me a sign that said, "No, More Monkeys Jumping On the Bed" to hang over his crib. At that point, it hit me, "We'll decorate his room with a jungle theme!" That weekend we went to Babies R Us and fell in love with a cute jungle themed crib set. (To this day, it has been the only decorative item Chad has been really excited about. When we first spotted it he ran up to the crib and put his hands on the crib bumper and asked, "Meg, can we get it?") :) The only problem... the colors didn't look great with the cherry wood finish. However, we thought the set was too cute to pass up. We were just going to have to live with the fact that it didn't match perfectly.

Now, flash forward a few months more. We decided that we needed to buy Jaxon a dresser to go in his room. At this point, we had bought Jaxon A LOT of things, and the money supply was running slow. So, we went to Craigslist to see if we could get a good deal on a dresser. Anything we could find that was in cherry wood was super expensive. We finally found a really nice dresser in a honey finish. I figured I could just sand the dresser down and apply a cherry wood finish to it... no problem! We bought the dresser and I began to do research on refinishing furniture. To my dismay, everything I read said that a project like mine was pretty complicated and very time consuming. In the end, I opted to just have mismatched furniture in Jaxon's room. As much as I want to be a designer extraordinaire, I figured it just wasn't worth it.

Fun at Phantom

2008-10-12T21:55:00.001-07:00

A few years ago, Chad and I went to go see the Broadway Production of the Lion King. To make the night more fun, Chad bought us a few "accessories" to wear to the big production. Chad wore a really nice suite complete with a lion tail coming out of his pants and a cute little headband with lion ears. I wore an old high school formal and had little sparkle whiskers and lion paw gloves. When we were together the people LOVED us!! As we walked downtown Spokane, people beeped their horns at us and waved. As we walked to our seats, people made way for us and stated, "Wow, you guys are fun..." The only awkward time was when we went to our various bathrooms alone. Chad especially got some strange looks as he stood at the urinal with a tail coming out of his suite jacket... However, we had a great time and that night has become one of our favorite dating memories.

So, last night when we had tickets to go see the Phantom of the Opera, we decided to resurrect the accessories idea. Our friends the Fosters were a little bit weary of the idea until they tried on the masks and saw how ridiculous they looked... At that point, they were all game! We got the boys phantom masks and the girls masquerade masks. (The best part about the girls' masks was that they were too small for our faces, so we just grabbed little bush branches and tapped them on to the masks to create a more realistic mask... Can you say "Trashy?") The people's response was a little less dramatic this time around, (several people actually asked Chad if he bought the mask at the theater and indicated that they wanted one too.) We had a great laugh walking into the theater, and the night turned out to be every bit as memorable as the Lion King.

The Ever Growing Belly

2008-10-07T19:58:00.000-07:00

5 Months

6 Months

7 Months... But I think the picture is a bit off... that is a BIG Belly!

8 1/2 Months

I've been asked by many to post some "Preggers Meggers" pictures. We haven't taken many photos, but hopefully this this will give you at least some idea of the ever growing belly...

Jumping on the Blog Train...

2008-10-07T19:35:00.000-07:00

Well, here it goes... we are officially jumpin on the blog train. It seems like we're way behind the pack with this one, but hopefully we can use this to keep you all updated on the comings and goings in our lives. This is it... THE ANDERSON FAMILY NEWS. Stay tuned...