First bath

One of the things I love about having a baby is that Dave always takes a week off work to help out so I can just focus on recovering and enjoying the baby. Yesterday after he made breakfast, got everyone off to school and went grocery shopping, he gave Chloe her first bath at home.

Look at all that dark hair!

She didn't like it, of course.

Levi loves having Dave home too. I've been a bit of a bump on a log the past few weeks, so he likes having dad around to play with. I'm impressed with how well he's adjusting to Chloe. Sometimes he's too rough near her, and that makes me nervous, but he absolutely adores her and loves to hold her and give her hugs and kisses.

All done! That feels much better.

Fuzzy after-bath hair!

The bath wiped her out for a few hours, so I dressed her up and took pictures. What a doll!

Valentine's Day

I love Valentine's Day, and I especially like to make creative valentine cards with the boys. This year may be my favorite ones we've ever done. We got the idea from Family Fun, and they turned out so stinkin' cute!

We started out by taking a bunch of pictures of the boys holding an old mop handle. We did it in the dining room so we'd get the pretty red curtains in the background. I fit 2 images per 4x6 picture by doubling the canvas size on Photoshop and adding an identicle image to the blank side. Then I typed the words in white so they'd show up nicely against the dark red. I had them printed at Costco, and it only cost $8 for 60 prints to make 120 valentines. Not bad!

Then Tyler and Dallin finished the rest all by themselves (I mostly made Brennan's) this past weekend. They taped a lollipop to the back of the picture, taped the picture to some scrapbook paper I had, and wrote the names on the front. They were all very excited about their Valentine's Day parties today, except Spencer, who won't have any since he's in middle school now. Bummer.

Last night for our Family Home Evening treat I made the coconut cake that Marrisse posted on our family food blog. I tinted the frosting pink for V-day. It was very delicious. Then I broke the glass bowl I used to make the icing because it was so slippery, and in the process I sliced off the posterior DIP of my left index finger, i.e. the back of my last finger joint. I cannot begin to tell you how painful it is. A big chunk of my skin is gone, probably down the drain, exposing a very sensitive huge hole that bled forever last night. Dave spent 20 minutes cleaning out all the shards of glass from the garbage disposal. I was so worried he was going to cut himself. I woke up several times during the night with a horrible throbbing pain in my finger. Then I literally cried allegator tears when I peeled off the stuck bandaid this morning. Dave ran to the store before work to get me some lidocaine gel, telfa pads and a finger splint, and it is feeling much better now. So no fun heart-shaped pancakes for us this morning.

These are my favorite valentines of all. I love these people so much!

I especially LOVE Levi's face in this one!

They love it when dad reads books at night because he always makes them so silly and fun. I married Dave because he made me laugh. He married me because I laughed at his jokes. Now he makes our kids laugh too, and that makes me so happy.

Happy Valentine's Day to the best guy ever -- who cleans up my broken glass and takes care of my wounds and encourages my hobbies and lets me have as many children as I want and is such an awesome dad to them. I am so blessed to have you as my valentine!

BBQ, Crabs and Badminton,

It's been said that funerals make good family reunions. It's a sad reason to get together, but it is sure good to see everyone. I really enjoyed visiting with Uncle Ray. He stayed several days, helping to get things done around the house. He spent a morning fixing the tractor and an afternoon mowing the grass.

Alicia did an awesome job grilling chicken.


And we can't go back East without having a crab feast!

Poor Kai was sick with a fever. I've never seen him so still and quiet.



Once the front yard was mowed they set up the badminton net and played all weekend.




This is Christine's husband, Tony. They're sure happy to be back from Oklahoma.

See all those gnats flying around Dave's head? They spent more time swatting at bugs than at the birdie. There are some things about living back East that I don't miss, although the fireflies at night were pretty.

Patrick brought the badminton set and crabs. He was the hero of the day.

Noah is sure growing up to be a handsome young man. The haircut helps.

Celestial is always happy!

She loves silky scarves. This is currently her favorite.

When they weren't playing badminton, they were playing basketball. Who chose Dave to guard Jason?!


Jason (Alicia's husband) is such a crack-up. He's always a lot of fun to be around.


Love this pic of Patrick! What a cutie.


This one is a little blurry, but it's a classic Alicia smile.


I like this picture of Dave's mom, relaxed and visiting with her daughters.

The pool game between cousins was hilarious. They spent the whole time complimenting each other. "Nice shot." "That was so close!" "That almost went in." "Good try."

Elizabeth had to work on Saturday, so she came out Sunday to help finish up the crabs and play a few games of badminton. Somehow I didn't get any pictures of Kat, since she was in and out all weekend.

It was fun to watch Blaize getting into the game. Spencer had a lot of fun hanging out with his cousins. He was really glad he got to go with us. And I must say that traveling with just 1 big kid is SO easy. He even carried all the luggage as we ran to catch our connecting flight.

We had some extra time on the way to the airport Monday, so we stopped to see the hospital where Spencer was born.

He took a ton of scenery pictures. He loves going back to his roots.

David Carleton Anderson 8/10/44 - 6/20/11

Dave's dad passed away on Monday, June 20th. He had struggled with his health for several years, but the last 5 months were especially difficult.

Dave flew out on Tuesday, and Spencer and I followed on Thursday.

A bugle played Taps at the grave site. His dad was a naval barber in the Vietnam War. Then bagpipes played Amazing Grace. He said he never heard that song without getting goosebumps. It was beautiful.

Presentation of the American flag to Dave's mom.

His dad had dual citizenship, and he had happy childhood memories of living with his grandparents in Toronto.

Dave's Grandfather, Carleton Edward Anderson.

Although we know his dad is free from earthly pains and trials, we will truly miss him. He loved his wife. He raised 9 children. He worked hard to support his large family. He had a strong faith in God.

We will remember him for his love of crabs and the Chesapeake Bay, talking like Donald Duck, constant puns and word play, scrabble, food, good deals, constant reading (especially The New Yorker), maps and architecture.

We are grateful for the legacy he left us and our children. We look forward to the day that we see him again, and we know that through Jesus Christ's atonement and resurrection, he will live again.