An Ayden Funny. . .

"Look mommy, I can eat a banana sideways!"

"Look at that. You sure can. Just like corn on the cob."

Off he runs giggling and eating his banana. . .sideways.

How about 8 things I'm thankful for. . .

since it is Thanksgiving. Maybe I'll do the 8 things you don't know about me another day. Maybe I won't.



1. I'm thankful for Kevin. He loves the Lord and he loves me. He inspires me to be a better mom because he is such a great dad. I'm thankful for his ability and commitment to work hard at everything he does. I'm thankful for his ability to see when I'm stressed or struggling and not ignore it. He often can make me laugh through my tears. I love that.









2. I'm thankful for Austin. He offers a helping hand to the moms in our church by looking out for the little ones. He has a tender heart and a deep sense of commitment when it comes to his friends. He plays sports with that same sense of commitment and he is very coachable. He has a desire to be obedient to God and to his parents. I love that.


3. I'm thankful for Addison. He seems quiet and reserved on the outside, like his daddy, but he has a quick wit and a great sense of humor. He loves music and video games. He is our night owl and can often be found after 10:00 pm reading a book or playing some lone adventure game in his bed. He is a natural athlete, and like his brother, is coachable. He is quick to admit his sin and say he is sorry. I love that.


4. I'm thankful for Anna-Kate. She is outgoing and fun. She has a boatload of energy and does her best to keep up with the boys in her life. She enjoys her ballet and art classes, and then it's off to soccer and basketball. She's a giggly girl during playtime and an attentive learner during classtime. She prays earnestly every night for the Fergusons and the Andersons, and that she'll get a cat for Christmas. I love that.

5. I'm thankful for Ayden. He has spunk and a laugh that would melt a heart of steal. He notices when I am sad and offers comfort with hugs and kisses. His favorite color is orange and he loves to play with his good friend, Jack. He's a cuddler and he's ticklish under his chin. He sits on my lap during church every Sunday. I love that.



6. I'm thankful for Asa. He wants his "grace" bar (nutra-grain bar) first thing every morning, even before hugs and kisses. I usually make him hug me first anyway. He is very verbal and can usually tell you in complete sentences what he wants to say. When I have been gone, or just after his nap, he greets me with enthusiasm and excitement. I love that.


7. I'm thankful for the parents and the siblings God gave me. My parents taught me about Jesus from a very young age. I don't ever remember a time that He wasn't a part of our lives. I love each of my sisters and my brother and would proudly call them friends, even if we were not related. Mom, Dad, Beth, Laura, Jenna, Wyndi, Marian, Esther, Sarah and John, I love you and I thank God for you. I'm especially thankful that God allows me to live near my twin sister, Marian and her family. I can't believe we are raising our children together. I love that!

8. Most of all I am thankful to God for sending His own son to die and pay the penalty for my sin so that when I die, it is only an earthly death and not an eternal one. I so love that!

8 things you don't know about me. . .

I really could think of nothing that ya'll don't already know. Seriously, I'm an open book, but I'll keep thinking. In the meantime, Anna-Katie revealed a few things about herself. Enjoy.


1. I like to play games. . .beanie baby games.

2. Last night my pants were on the gray side and they were itchy so I took them off, after putting my blanky over me, and put them on the blue side. (giggle, giggle, giggle)

3. I'm drinking out of a teacup and eating off of a plate that belong to Aunt Marian.

4. My favorite song is "Open the Eyes of my Heart, Lord".

5. I'm a tomboy. (I told her I thought most people already knew this. She disagreed.)

6. I keep gatorade bottles after I drink out of them.

7. I like creating things like Ayden.

8. My second favorite song is "Our God is an Awesome God".

Week 2--Going through withdrawal--Again

Psalm 119:133

Direct my footsteps according to Your word; let no sin rule over me.

Sugar has ruled over me for much of my life and so this scripture convicts me every time I see it, hear it, read it, or pray it. I have attempted to go off of it a number of times in the past two years. I am giving it another try now. I tend to be an "all or nothin'" kind of gal and so it's just better for me if I can stay away from it all together. This time though, I am allowing myself a "treat" once a week while I'm on my date with Kevin and that gives me something of which to look forward. (This may actually negate the "all or nothing" mentality and so I confess that I struggle with having even some, but at the suggestion of several friends, I have allowed myself an "out" once a week.) I don't know, maybe that helps, maybe it hurts. I can't really tell at this stage. Since this is the second week, I am noticing some things about myself that I HOPE are just withdrawal symptoms. For one, I am SOOO emotional. For those of you who know me know I shed my fair share of tears, probably your fair share too. But this week. . .wow! I am like a roller coaster--up and down, up and down--cry, laugh, cry, laugh. Ugh. Somebody stop! I can't take it! And so, I digress. Secondly, I am tired and sleepy. It is difficult to get out of bed in the morning and mid-day, I am ready for a nap. I guess it doesn't help that I have also given up aspartame. I made the switch from Diet Coke to unsweetened tea. I'm not very happy about that either.

On a more serious note, I know that part of what I am struggling with has to do with mourning Knox's death, maybe all of it has to do with Knox and I just need to be able to blame it on something else. I ask myself, "Is is ok that I still miss him, that it still hurts like this?" I struggle with mentioning it at all for fear that someone will tell me that I need to go on some drug to help me cope. And for the few who have suggested that to me, I know that you mean well and that you only recommended it because you love me, but I don't see myself taking that kind of step anytime soon. That is not the answer for me. It's just not. At any rate, my heart. . .my body. . .they're aching and hurting. I miss that little guy and I know his family misses him more. I find myself saying, "Ugh". That's all I got. . .Ugh!

So there ya go, this week, I blame it all on the sugar and the aspartame, or at least, the lack there of. And because I hate to leave you on a downer, here's a shot of how I think I feel and look this week. (Thanks to Marian for her wonderful gift of capturing a moment.) ;)

Aunt Marian took soccer pictures of the kids on Saturday. Here are their individual shots. They are in order of their ages: Austin (11), Addison (9), Anna-Kate (7), Ayden (5) and Asa (2). Asa doesn't really play on a team because he is too young, but he likes to dress in a uniform (one from last year) like everyone else.

Thanks for the cupcakes Mrs. Rachel and Mr. Jon!

HAVE YOU SEEN IT YET? HAVE YOU HEARD?

This just in. . .

I just thought I'd bring it to your attention. . .This is the new heading on Rachel's blog:



Rachel's Blog A family of eight with one in heaven's gate


What do you suppose she is trying to tell us?


Congratulations Anderson Family!

"BASED BY A TRUE STORY. . ."

Ayden came in this morning and said, "I had a dream last night, mommy, that was based by a true story." He then proceeded to tell me the "true" story of the people who shrank and lived in a drawer and then they grew big again. I looked at Kevin who was already looking at me in disbelief and I said, "THAT is a blog spot waiting to happen."

There ya go. Thanks for sharing Ayden!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KNOX












WE MISS YOU

PAJAMA RUN ANYONE?

What is a "pajama run"? you ask. Well, you put your kids to bed, say their prayers and then let them think they are going to go to sleep. Then after a few minutes, you go in and yell, "Pajama Run!" They scramble around looking for their shoes and then you all pile in the car and head out for ice cream, or some other fun night-time treat.

My sister, Esther, came to visit this week and she wanted to share in the fun of a pajama run with her Texas nieces and nephews, but she wanted to do it "Oklahoma Style", meaning instead of ice cream, they go to Starbucks for a cold, decaffeinated shake-like treat. I think it's called a frappucino. What a treat for our kiddos! They had such a good time with their Aunt Esther and cousin, Jonathan. Here are a few pictures from our late-night adventure. Thank you Aunt Esther. Thank you for spending your fall break with us. We love you!

Here they are just before heading into Starbucks (If you click on the picture, you should be able to see it a little better). . .


A little closer up. . .


Aunt Esther and Micah


Ayden


Austin


Asa


Cousin Jonathan


Anna-Kate


Add


Micah


Christopher


Addison, Christopher & Joshua


Group shot


Buds-Ayden & Christopher


Thanks again Aunt Esther & Jonathan (& James) for coming to see us. We love you and we'll miss you.

Another fun Saturday morning at the soccer fields. . .

Six of our seven players had games this morning. While watching Austin and Joshua play, the kids had fun playing in the back of dad/Uncle Kevin's truck. Here are Ayden and Micah, who both played well today. I couldn't keep track of all the goals in Ayden's game. The other team scored, then we scored. It just kept going back and forth. Ayden said he got a goal too, but I missed it. I was trying to watch his game and Austin's at the same time. Micah's team won and he had 2 goals. Wahoo Wahoo!!


Cara Beth is such a cutie petutie.


Asa and I (or do I say, "Asa and me"?)


Joshua and Austin played an all-girls team. There are only 2 all-girl teams in their age division, so they get to play the boys. The boys won today. Joshua had 2 goals. Way to go Joshua! Here is one of them. If you click on it, you can see it better.


After his 2 goals, he played keeper. Here he is manning his post.


Austin played a good game too. He had some shots on goal. I missed much of his game as I was watching Ayden play on another field. Here he is dribbling the ball.


Anna-Kate's team got a win today. She played some in the beginning, but was having leg cramps so then she sat out. Here's the only action shot of her today.


After half-time, coach put her in as keeper, which I thought was very considerate of him, seeing as she still got to play. All the action was happening at the other end of the field, so she didn't have to run, and her coach gave her a big high five when she came off the field. Although the action was occurring on the other side of the field, you can see that Anna-Katie didn't have much trouble finding ways to pass the time. . .









And a smile for the camera too!

Backyard Fun

Austin asked me to post. I don't really have thoughts that I can post today, so here are some pictures for you to enjoy. Marian is the photographer. Thanks Mar.

Ayden getting ready to go down the slide.


My friend, Ashlee with Cara Beth.


Cara Beth atop the slide.


Austin joins the fun.


Asa, just a swingin'


Gracie Mae, Ashlee's (and Matt's) daughter.