Five reasons why I love LOST

1. It's like nothing I've ever seen. Ever. I can guess what's going to happen next all I want, but I'm never right. It's totally unpredictable and doesn't subscribe to the mass media drama formula like most other shows on prime time.

2. There's something for everyone: drama, horror, suspense, comedy, even a little romance (although I wish the writers would drop the stupid love quadrangle).

3. Even with all of the different elements and story lines, in my opinion, the show is about people--their weaknesses and strengths, and the relationships that they form (and in most cases, ruin). What could be better than that?

4. Ben Linus. 'Nuff said.

5. It's a "smart" show. And the best part is that there is an allusion to a great work of literature in nearly every episode--from "The Chronicles of Narnia", to "Animal Farm", to my personal favorite book of all time "Slaughter-House Five". 

So if you already watch LOST, good for you. And if you don't, you should start. Just remember that you have to start at the beginning and watch in order or you won't understand anything that's happening.

Happy birthday, Lena!

Daddy helping Helena stand at the girls' ladybug measuring board.

Today is my baby's birthday. My baby is one year old! How did that happen?? 

Helena is a darling. She loves her big sister and follows her everywhere. She loves to play with things that make noise, like rattles and tambourines. She's a lot like me in that when she is happy, she is very, very happy; and when she's sad, she's very, very sad. She loves attention (hey, also like me) and she screams to let you know when she needs more. She makes everyone love her with her beautiful big smiles, her cute little wave, and her giggles and coos. We are so lucky to have her!

Here is some random trivia about Lena.

Her full name is Helena Louise Anderson. That's Hel-A-Na, not Helen-A. Jason chose her first name (My Chemical Romance, anyone?) and her middle name is after my sister Kelsey and my Grandma Allan. She weighed 6 lb, 8 oz and was 19 inches long when she was born. She was due on April 6th; but was born on March 30th, 2008, after my midwife convinced me to let her break my water. She has three teeth (two on the bottom and one on top) and is finally starting to grow some very fine blond hair. She had a bright red birthmark on the very back of her head when she was born, but it has faded away now, and you can't see it unless I point it out. 

Today we went to the aquarium to celebrate her birthday. She was a little nervous at first, but when I showed her that the fish couldn't swim out and get her, she really enjoyed it. She loved watching the tropical fish swim in their tanks and splashing her hands in the touch pool. (Tempe had fun, too)

Helena's "Springtime" birthday party is next week, so check back for pictures of our real celebration! In the meantime, you can find her official first birthday portraits on my aunt Margaret's blog.

Here are some pictures of us at the aquarium. As usual, Tempe wouldn't look at the camera and Helena is starting to follow in her footsteps. Nooo!!

Who would've thunk...

... that on my fourth anniversary I would have a two-year-old and an almost-one-year-old, a wonderful, considerate husband, a gorgeous house, and my very own minivan?

Yes, it has really been four years. And so far, it's been a good day. Jason woke me up at 7 with pancakes from McDonalds (yum! My favorite!) and I am going to surprise him after work with some ice cold Dr. Peppers. We are going to the Church International Art Competition and The Cheesecake Factory on Saturday to celebrate, but tonight I think we will just relax with our Dr. Peppers and The Office and 30 Rock.

Last year on this day: I was nine months pregnant with Lena, 4 cm dilated, and contracting all day. Not our best anniversary.

Two years ago on this day: The Cheney's babysat Tempe while Jason and I went out to dinner in Laramie.

Three years ago on this day: I was three months pregnant with Tempe, and we went to Ft. Collins for dinner at P.F. Changs. Super yum!!!

Four years ago on this day: We were sealed for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake Temple. Click here to find out more about why Mormons build temples)

Best. LOST. Ever.

"Although we see Sayid shoot Young Ben exactly where his heart should be (if he had a heart), there’s almost no chance that he’s dead." from Kulturblog. 

Sorry, U fans

Tempe knows we like the "go, go, go Cougars!" but beyond that, I didn't think she knew what BYU is. Well, she at least knows what a university logo looks like. On Saturday we were driving up to the zoo, and when we passed Rice-Eccles Stadium, Tempe saw a red University of Utah "U" logo. She pointed at it and proudly said "It's a red go, go, go Cougar, Mom! A red cougar!"

I just thought all my U-fan friends would like that :) 

Roswell vs. Twilight

Stephanie Meyer totally ripped of "Roswell", the WB's late '90s show about aliens and the teenage girls that love them!

Watch the pilot (on hulu.com). There are a few similarities between it and Twilight that really jumped out at me, including Max telling Liz that they "... can't do this. It's just too dangerous."

Of course, I still love Twilight. I forgive you, Stephanie Meyer.

The opposite of my last post

Cari suggested that I make a list of the things I like about myself and I thought that was a good idea.

I am really good at school without much effort.

I keep my house super clean.

I am relatively good (not great) at lots of things: scrapbooking, writing, decorating, teaching...

I am really, really good at documenting memories for my family (like this blog).

I am a very good cook! And decent at baking as well. And along with that, I am pretty good at budgeting our food money and grocery shopping. I have a system.

I think I am a pretty good mom. I am good at thinking of fun activities for us to do together and fun place to go together.

I am pretty good at making new friends when we move (I guess because I've gotten a lot of practice).

I am good at making other new people feel welcome.

I am (usually) a good driver.

I like LOST and 30 Rock and I think those should count for things that I like about myself.

So, I feel better after this post than I did after the last one. Cari, you are the best! Thanks for the suggestion!

Frustration

Lately I have been feeling very frustrated with myself. There are so many things that I want to change and that I don't feel confident about; yet, for some reason, I don't ever change!

I wish I was a nicer person. Sometimes I am just mean. I think mean thoughts and I mutter mean things. I don't want my children to grow up to be mean-spirited like me! I want them to be kind and loving and patient and to remember that everyone has a mommy that loves them. I know that the best way to teach them is by example, and I am afraid that I don't set a very good example for them.

I wish I was more patient with Tempe and Helena (mostly Tempe). 

I wish I was more responsible with our money. I am prone to financial weakness, especially when it comes to food.

I wish I had better priorities. There is so much that requires my attention, things that can only be done while the girls are asleep--yard work, homework, housework... but by the time they go down for their naps, all I want to do is crash in front of the tv. And then I end up feeling guilty that I didn't get as much done as I could have. 

I wish I was more on top of our non-existent food storage.

I wish I had a talent. 

I wish I was better at doing my scripture study, planning family home evening, teaching the girls about the Gospel in our every day life, and doing my visiting teaching.

And those are only the weaknesses I am going to admit--there are more.

A simple children's activity

1. Smear one-year-old with peanut butter.

2. Allow two-year-old and one-year-old to roll around in a pile of birdseed.

3. Hang in a tree for the birds to enjoy! 

Grateful

I was blog surfing, and came across one that really touched me: www.thegledhillfamily.blogspot.com. But I am warning, you DO NOT read it if you are pregnant, are the parent of young children, or have a heart. I just spent the last half hour crying as I scrolled through to read about the trial this family has had to endure.  I read through sad blogs like this pretty often--I just can't help myself, and then I always feel sad--but this one really got to me because the little girl that this family lost was almost exactly the same age as Helena. I can't even imagine holding my Lena in my arms and saying goodbye, and knowing that it would be the last time I ever got to hold her. In this life.

Because that is the silver lining to a tragedy like this. Their daughter is gone from them for now, but someday they will be together again. Heavenly Father has given us such a wonderful gift--the gift of forever families. Someday we will all be reunited with our loved ones, and all of the mothers who have had to say goodbye to their children will be able to hold them and love them again. That is the only thing that could ever help me through losing a child--although it's something I hope I will never, ever have to do. I don't think I am strong enough. I don't think I could bear it. 

Grumpy

Today I am a little down in the dumps, for more reasons than one, but only one that I am going to share on here: my Adolescent Literature teacher.

She keeps sending back my assignments with biting, sarcastic comments in the margins. Comments that do not help me understand what she would like me to do differently in the next assignment. Comments that are not at all constructive criticism. And even though I know I shouldn't let someone I don't even know get me down... I do! I hate reading what she writes on my assignments. It makes me feel so bad about myself and about the quality of my work. I have always done really well in school--it's my "thing". I'm not good at sports, or art, or music, but I am good at school. So it's really hard for me when I do not do as well as I like to.

Here are some strange things. My first five assignments were all graded 97. Now, all of a sudden, six and seven have been graded 83 and littered with mean comments. But really, I don't think the quality of my work has changed at all. Also, she accidentally graded assignment six as assignment eight and gave me a 97. When I called to point out it was graded as the wrong assignment, she re-graded it and gave me an 83! Isn't that strange?

Even more Tempe-isms

[Mis]quoting "The Little Mermaid": "Lena is six years old, Mom! She is not a child!"

"I think we should.... I think we should... buy a bumpy ride." (She calls the ATVs at Grandpa's cabin "bumpy rides")

Missing her paci: "Mom, I not want to grow big and strong. I want to grow little. Can I grow little and have me paci?"

Tempe is a big girl--but not by choice

Today is the third day Tempe has gone without her pacifier. Woohoo! She was down to one paci, and she kept chewing on it, so Jason told her that when she bit it and it broke, we were going to throw it away and not get a new one. Well, Tuesday she bit through it and so I reminded her what Daddy had said. She remembered what I was talking about it and took it into the bathroom and put it in the trash herself. For the rest of the day she kept saying "I don't need me paci, I put it in the trashcan!"
But then at bedtime... She was ok while I was reading her a story, but towards the end of the book she interrupted me and said "Mom, can I have me paci? Just one more paci, please?" It broke my heart to see the worry on her face when she realized she wasn't going to get her paci! Even after that, she did ok. She yelled a little bit, but went to sleep without it. In the middle of the night, she woke up crying for it. Jason went in and tried to console her--she was insisting she needed it--so he said "Here, suck on a pony's nose instead" and put a pony in her mouth. It worked! I laughed and laughed when I saw her sucking on her pony's nose the next day.
So, she is officially "off" pacifiers--but not by choice.

I want to go to Disneyland

I want to go to Disneyland. I really want to go to Disneyland. I really, really want to go to Disneyland. I can't even say how much I want to go to Disneyland.

And if our tax return is really as big as we think it will be, we might be able to go!

But not until fall. I can't wait that long. Six more months? I'll go crazy!

Until then, I have to be content with planning our trip and finding the best deal on a hotel. Any tips? I've never really shopped around for a hotel. We need a family-friendly hotel with a suite (separate bedroom and living space) and a complimentary continental breakfast. We also want a refrigerator and microwave or kitchenette in our room so we can save a little on food costs by eating at the hotel instead of going out every night. The hotel needs to be relatively close to Disneyland--walking distance isn't necessary, but we will need a shuttle that doesn't take too long. And of course, we don't want it to be too junky or dirty.

Do you think that's too much to ask?

I just keep picturing the expressions on Tempe and Lena's faces when we walk through the gates for the first time and they see the castle, the characters, the rides... and I keep imagining which rides they will like best. Dumbo? Winnie-the-Pooh? Mr. Toad's Wild Ride? Peter Pan? Tempe might even be tall enough to ride Splash Mountain--she just needs to grow 4 more inches!

Some more Tempe-isms

Watching tv with Mom. "I feel sad..."
(Mom) "Why, sweetie?"
"We don't have a doggy..."

[Several days later] Watching "Pinnochio" with Dad. "I wish I had a kitty cat."

After hearing me leave a message on my sister-in-law's phone inviting her over: "Rachel gonna bring the girls [cousins Maddy and Libby] over to play?"

Reproving her sometimes-not-so-nice mother: "You need to be nice to other people, Mom."

Grocery shopping with Mommy before Uncle Tyler comes to spend the weekend: "We gonna share the eggs with Uncle Tyler?"

Typical two-year-old response to my demands for obedience: "No, Mom! You be-have! I not have! I Tempe Joanney!"

Untagged wedding tag

I wasn't tagged, but thought this looked fun:
1. Wedding Date: March 26, 2005
2. Where did you get married? Salt Lake LDS Temple

3. How long did you date / were engaged? We dated for 3 months and were engaged for 5 months

Jason proposed to me at the Timp Trailhead on October 30, 2004 (this picture was taken the following spring, after we were married)

4. Were you a Bridezilla? Maybe... I worried about everything the entire time we were engaged because I wanted everything to be perfect

5. Wedding colors: Orange and pink

6. How many bridesmaids? My sister Kelsey and my sister-in-law Morgan; sisters-in-law Corinne and Katelyn were flower girls
7. Where did you honeymoon? We spent our wedding weekend at the Homestead in Heber, Utah, then went to New Orleans for a week a few months later

Jason caught these two vampires on our vampire tour of the French Quarter.

8. Where was your reception? The Orangerie at Red Butte Garden--it was really neat. It's a glass building that was once used to grow orange (so kind of like a greenhouse) and it was like being outside without having to worry about heat, cold, wind, rain, snow, or anything else. We also got to do pictures all over the grounds of Red Butte Garden.
9. Is there anything you regret or would like to redo? I wish I had worn colored shoes instead of white. I wish we had danced to "First Day of My Life" by Bright Eyes instead of "What a Wonderful World". I wish I hadn't worried about things so much. I wish our photographer had given us digital proofs instead of a proof book.
10. Did you save your cake top and eat it on your first anniversary? Nope--but we did eat leftover wedding cake for several months after the wedding.


11. How long have you been married NOW? Four years in just a few weeks!

More generosity than we deserve

Due to the very giving, generous nature of both sets of our parents, the Andersons now have two luxuries that we thought we would have to live without: a second car and the Internet at home!
The car came first. Jason's wonderful father helped us find a great second car--a 2000 Toyota Sienna. That's right, I am a minivan mom. And I love it! Tempe does too. She asks me every day if we can go for a ride in the new van.
The Internet was just hooked up a few hours ago, although I can't figure out how to get the wireless to work. My mom knows how much I love blogging, and I think she missed reading about the girls, so she and my dad decided to get the Internet for us for an early birthday present. Aren't they wonderful?