In case you were beginning Taiwan -der!

FINALLY, here are the photos from Rob's trip and the Sweeney boy visit!!











And, what was happening back home!













In case you were beginning to wonder, we have not returned to normalcy quite yet. Three days after we returned from our trip to Mexico, Rob left for a Young Life trip to Taiwan. The morning after he left, three of my friend's boys came to stay with us for 10 nights and 11 days while she and her husband went to Ireland. Rob just returned on Thursday night, so I have been the "temporary" mother of three more boys this past week.

I am not going to say it has been easy, because it hasn't. In fact, I have learned some things about my personality that I don't necessarily like. For example, I don't like that I find it necessary to clean the kitchen floor after every meal. This has proven to be way more time consuming than usual due to the fact that four boys are eating and spilling instead of one. I don't like the fact that I find myself getting tired of answering the barrage of questions that come my way all day long. They are just curious boys; why can't I just answer and move on. I don't like the fact that it bothers me to come upon a toilet that hasn't been flushed. In fact, I have learned that 6 year old and 4 year old boys rarely flush the toilet. I need to get used to this - I am the mother of a boy that will one day be 4 and later on 6. I also need to embrace the fact that, as the mother of a boy, there will be pee on the seat once he starts using the toilet. I have thought about this, but I didn't want to believe it until now. (I have an incredible husband who always lifts the seat, wipes the seat if he drips, and returns the seat to the down position when finished. I know, I am spoiled.) I don't like that I attempt to be really quiet in the morning, even though I am awake. I know that if the boys see any signs of life, they are in my room with their huge, incredible smiles and "it is on." They know better than I do, and they know that I need to get up and get moving. "Hey Mrs. Anderson! Are we going to have breakfast?"

Please don't get me wrong. I said it hasn't been easy, but it has been really fun, and truly a learning experience for me as we are going to have multiple children in two months. The Sweeney boys are INCREDIBLE and have had me laughing most of their time here. We have had some crazy fun as we have been to a Bees baseball game, we went to see the movie Earth, we had picnics, lunch dates, play dates with buddies, several bike rides around the neighborhood, our own baseball games, a movie on the Young Life big screen in our living room, battles on the Wii, and great conversations! I am honored that Kenyon and Laurie would ask us to parent their children while they were away, and I am so glad to have had the opportunity. Sawyer is going to miss having the "feeney boys" around. He has had some crazy fun!

I have also learned some key bits of information you can only obtain from a 4 and 6 year old boy - mostly from the 4 year old.

1. Favorite fruit: fruit snacks
2. Why they fart: they like the smell of them. (So they told me yesterday in a fit of farting.)
3. High school kids eat food. (Who knew?)
4. God made us out of skin. (Obviously.)
5. Rocks are also made of skin - skin and wood.
6. Baths are not necessary, even when you have been playing in the mud, rolling around with goats, and pooped on by a chicken. (All of these things happened when we went to visit the oldest brother who has been staying with another friend.)
7. Elmo is for babies, not 4 year olds.
8. You have to be in the Air Force to go to college. (Things have changed since I was in school.)
9. Dessert is a must!
10. It's good to have on clothes in the first place, so don't sweat it if my pants and shirt are both on backwards.


I have to go, but I will return soon with lots of photos!!!

Mexico!

Ahh...Mexico. Besides visiting family in Texas, Rob and I haven't taken a non Young Life related trip since our first year of marriage. We are strong believers in the whole "marriage comes first" philosophy and in order for us to be good parents, we have to put our marriage first. So, a few months ago we talked about taking a quick trip to Moab over Spring Break since there is no Young Life that week. Some AMAZING friends of ours from our church heard about our desire for a quick getaway before baby #2 arrives, and they GAVE us a trip to Mexico. When I say GAVE us, I mean they provided the flights and the stay at a beautiful holistic retreat near Cabo San Lucas. A place where the employees know you by name, where they rake the sand, and where they fill your room with calming fragrances and turn down your bed each night. It was heavenly. Rob knew about it several months ago and told me four days before we were to leave for Mexico. He knew I would have anxiety about both of us leaving our little guy (and putting my almost seven months pregnant belly into a swimsuit) and spared me the anxious thoughts for a few months. This way, they were all crammed into the four days prior to our trip. Even though it was very difficult for me to leave, it was so worth it. We had a great week of reading, relaxing, discussing baby names, and soaking in the warm, Mexico sun. It was such a blessing, and we are better because of it!

And no, we still don't have a named picked out for the baby girl. If it were up to me, I would have chosen one months ago. Take it up with my husband.



Rob and his Surf and Turf! Yummy!


The locals are so friendly - a bit stiff but really nice.



A beached whale! Oh wait, that's me.






This is how we spent most of our time. Ahh....



And this is what we got to come home to. Sawyer got a new, Mexican guitar to play alongside Daddy, and he and Truman were reunited.

Sawyer is Two - Here are a few more photos from my camera - ridiculous, I know. Mom and Dad (and Grammy) were all taking pictures!

We were ready for the snow to be gone, but Mallory came to PC to see some snow. So, we went to the Park for some fun in what was left of the snow.



Dad's favorite gift for Sawyer - his first ski helmet.



Dad even got to dress like a Fireman! After all, he is Sawyer's hero!


The little man is now two! We are so blessed by our little guy and can't believe he is already two years old. As I am sure you will all agree - time flies! Grammy and cousin Mallory were able to come from Austin and celebrate with us. This made the day even more special! Since one of Sawyer's favorite things is firetrucks, we decided to have a firetruck party to celebrate year number two. We even had the real thing as the Park City Fire Department stopped by the party and let the kids have some fun. The firemen were extremely kind and allowed the kids to climb inside, wear the jackets and helmets, and they even shuttled them around the block while blowing the horn and ringing the bell. It was a hit with all the little ones as well as the dads. I think some of the dads were more impressed and excited than the kids. Especially when the firemen pulled out the Jaws of Life and started telling life saving stories. Thanks so much to Officer Vokel and Officer Cromm for their kindness and willingness to share with both little and big kids alike! It was a fun celebration thanks to good friends and good people like the Park City Fire Department! Happy Birthday sweet, little Sawyer! We love you!

Pray for Jonah!!

I know it has been such a long time since I have posted. I apologize. Instead of kicking things off with new photos of Sawyer (Don't worry mom and dad, they are coming!), I am posting a link to a blog that will change your day! It will make you thankful for your health and the health of your children, and you will remember this little guy for a long time. PLEASE pray for Jonah. I do not personally know this family, but they are friends of our friends on Young Life staff in North Carolina, and they need our prayers. They lost their first baby to this disease, and now their new baby is struggling with the same disease. He is so young and in a great deal of pain. So far, there is no cure for the disease but they are working on new stem cell research that may be able to help. God works all things for His good - even this! Enjoy reading about Jonah!

phones, cameras and automobiles...

So I have this cell phone - it's a Motorola razor phone that my students last year told me was WAY outdated. "Razors are out, iphones and blackberrys are in Mrs. Anderson. You need a new phone." This was last year, so I must be truly out of date and uncool now - it's 2009. However, my phone makes calls, receives calls and stores phone numbers. What else do I need? I am a stay at home mom, and a "phone" - something that makes and receives calls - is just fine for me. I have always believed that a cell phone is for MY convenience, not everyone else!!! Who cares what it looks like and who cares if it takes pictures or not (it does, I'll have you know) but I own a camera that also fits nicely into my purse or pocket. It's a camera, so it's made for taking pictures, and they come out better than most phone pictures. Cause, after all, it's a phone. And frankly, I am haunted enough by emails, I don't need to check them while I am at the store or in line at the post office.

So, this lame, outdated Razor phone of mine stopped working yesterday. It is on, but is says I have no service, so I can't make or receive any calls. Rob and I have tried everything to get it to work, but it won't. Ugh! So, I have to drive to Salt Lake and visit the Verizon store, which if you ask me, is equivalent to a root canal from a dentist with bad breath. Fewer places are more painful to visit than the Verizon store in Sugarhouse. And, to make matters worse, I may have to get a new phone. Before yesterday, I didn't need a new phone and I didn't want a new phone. Mine was serving me just fine. I don't want to get used to a new one. I liked my OLD one - archaic if you ask my former students. Can't wait to see what "deals" the Verizon people can offer me. Can't wait.

And, since I am so pleased with technology right now, we also discovered some exciting news about our video camera yesterday. Rob and I purchased a really nice video camera right after Sawyer was born. We used it a few times and then Rob took it on a Young Life trip. One of his leaders was using it to video the kids until he left it under the seat on a ride at DisneyLand - The Happiest Place on Earth! The place where people find a video camera that doesn't belong to them, and they keep it.

So, we replaced that camera with one identical to it. All was well in video and memory making land until the door on the camera became stuck open. Who knows why, but the door stopped closing. It sounds like something very simple to fix. Everything else on the camera worked, but the door wouldn't close.

So, last week we took the camera to Best Buy to see if they could repair the door. We paid $50 up front just for them to look at it and see what was wrong. (It's obvious what is wrong and shouldn't take $50 to see that the door won't close.) We did so and discovered that we were a month (ONE MONTH) past our warranty. It had expired. Of course it had. Doors close when they are under warranty. We heard back from them yesterday with the news that it will cost $300 to repair the camera. THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS to get the door to close. Really.

The camera is still sitting at Best Buy until $300 falls from the sky. We just spent that and more replacing the fuel pump in Rob's truck.

Call me and we can talk and I'll share my other thoughts regarding the camera. (Oh wait, I can't receive your call because my phone doesn't work. You can leave me a message and I'll check it from my husband's fancy phone when he gets home.)

Thanks for listening. I truly am not this bitter all the time.

Ahhhh Sundance...

Every year for ten days in January, a beast invades Park City. The beast is Sundance.

Sundance, for many, is a time of star gazing, movie going, late night parties, walks up and down Main Street, free gifts, concerts and wine bars, and brushes with fame.

It looks a little different from my perspective.
For me, Sundance is:

Lots of people - everywhere - all wearing black and toting sponsor bags, computer totes, designer handbags and hideous man purses that someone, somewhere should have deemed wrong a long time ago.

Traffic - lots and lots of traffic. What used to be a five minute drive has become a 45 minute drive - all because of the PIBS (People In Black) This is what the local high schoolers around here have labeled them.

More fur coats, fur hats and furry boots than should ever be in one place. It really is a spectacle.

An occassional glimpse of someone famous but it's highly unlikely since they don't hang out at Albertson's and they're probably not going to stop by my house. Last year I did see Screech from Saved By the Bell. Does that even count?

Road Rage! The limosines, buses, vans, taxis and private cars driven by people who don't know where they're going and don't care if they're causing traffic jams get a little old when you are just trying to get to the post office.

No parking spot for my haircut that is WAY overdo! What about the little people who just want to get their hair cut?

Houseguests (which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but we have had them come and go non-stop for the entire festival.) I have had a half day in between departures and arrivals to wash sheets and towels for the new guests. Two left today and two more arrive tomorrow. I literally just heard the buzzer on the dryer - the sheets are done. Time to do the towels.

Snooty people. Remember you are a guest in this town, and just because you are wearing black, were fortunate enough to get credentials and have them so humbly displayed around your neck, and you pulled out your furry boots because we have snow here, that really doesn't mean you are better than me. It just means you can get into more places than me for ten days, and you'll regret having ever purchased those boots.


Don't get me wrong. I am not a hater of Sundance. In fact, these past few days have been really fun. One of our houseguests is a musician who was invited to play at the Sundance Cafe. Others who played there this year were Damien Rice, Wynonna, Gin Blossoms, and the guitar player from the Doors (can't remember his name) to name a few. So, it was fun to hang with our friend Dave and see him perform. He was awesome.

Also, sweet Pete and Jenny invited us to a few films and one of them was a premiere. It starred Kevin Spacey, Dallas Roberts, Saffron Burrows and Robin Williams. Kevin Spacey and most of the cast were there after the show to answer audience questions. So, I actually got to see Kevin Spacey. I even got to hear him say the "F" word in the microphone.
This was all after a girl two seats down told me to shut up. (It's an extremely long story - too long for the blog - but I still can't believe it happened. I have never experienced someone as rude, and let's not forget I was a high school teacher! And let me say that today I discovered that she is no longer a Sundance volunteer. She was relieved of her duties after her behavior last night.)

Then, Jenny and I went to see a movie this morning and it was awesome. It wasn't a premiere so we didn't think there would be anyone special there. Until, the director and Anthony Edwards (Top Gun, ER) came up to the front! They answered questions from the audience and shared insight about the movie. I am a huge fan of Anthony Edwards after today. He was extremely casual and very humble - he was funny too.

To close, we have two more guests coming this weekend for a little Sundance fever. On Sunday they leave, along with the PIBS, the furry boots, the traffic, the congestion, the movies, the stars, and the craziness. It's been fun, but I am not sad to see it all go. The Sundance beast will return next year, only the fashion and the movies will be different. Everything else remains the same. OK, even some of the fashion remains the same - black coats and fur never cease to make an appearance. It is, after all, a beast.

I'm off to wash some towels!

Back to the routine...

I meant to add more photos that same day and never managed to get around to it. Here are a few more from the holidays. My apologies!

More to come from our time in Austin!







The holidays were great and full of good time with family and friends, but we are glad to be back to some sort of normalcy around here.

Here are a few highlights from Christmas in Park City and Austin!