Answers

Yet another answer to prayer. Yes it was simple but I know that he answered my prayer.

Michael had misplaced his wallet again and I had glanced around on his dresser for it yesterday, not really moving much. After he got home he had the kids looking for it and he was tearing up the bedroom looking for it. I went in the other room and just said a quick prayer that he would lead someone to the wallet. As I was saying that prayer I saw, vividly in my mind, the bag on Michael's dresser that has Annie's dance costume in. I went back into the bedroom and pulled the big puffy black tulle skirt out of the bag and checked the bag. Not there. Oh well, I thought, guess it's not here. Then as I was wrapping the skirt into a ball to shove back into the bag the wallet fell on the floor. I'm guessing that he tossed the wallet onto the dresser and it landed in the bag the night before and we just didn't see it because it was black on black.

Michael told the kids that I was the one that had found all his stuff that was missing yesterday. I had found his keys on the porch when I opened the door to take Ethan to the bus, and then after checking the movie cabinet for his kindle I was walking down the hall and saw it on the floor in the closet. But I told him that I hadn't found the wallet. I was lead to it. I know He lead me to look where I did. I know He will answer our prayers even if it's just for the simplest things.

Migraines

Finally got to the doctor today after having a terrible headache for the past week or more and he confirmed what I had been suspecting. I have a migraine. I don't think I've ever had such a bad headache. I know I've had bad headaches before but this one has been different. So he gave me some medication to take and see if it will help. He also gave me some percocet and told me to go home, take one and go to bed. Ha ha, as if I had the time. I really wish I could go to bed and just sleep but I have too much to do. Maybe that's part of my problem, I don't have time to stop and rest and let myself heal. Hope I get better soon. I have four cases of strawberries to make into freezer jam.

Sickness

So last week, actually the week before Easter, I had at least one kid home from school every day. Finally on Thursday Michael came home from work and didn't feel so hot himself so he kept all the kids home on Friday. I ended up taking everyone (Except Ethan) to the Dr. They all had strep tests done and we got three positives, Ammon, Michael, and James. So all of them were put on antibiotics. I was the only one who wasn't sick. I guess I should have taken the antibiotics too. I was okay most of the week but on Friday my throat started itching, and my head hurt like crazy. I've tried to lay low and take it easy but today I just feel like crap. Throat hurts, hurts to breath in real deep, nose is constantly running, eyes are dry and itchy one minute then the next they're watering so bad I have tears running down my cheeks. I've tried taking an allergy pill for the sneezing, itchy watering eyes and that didn't help.

I don't mean to complain but it's no fun when you're the one sick and you have to take care of kids and a house still. It makes me appreciate more the times that I'm not sick.

Back-to-School

So I got this crazy idea a few months ago that I wanted to go back to school. I applied to the USU extension here in town and was accepted. Now I'm just waiting to register for classes. I don't really want to take a full load but in order to qualify for financial aid I have to be taking 12 credits. I'm excited but a little nervous at the same time, am I going to be able to handle school work and still have time for my family and responsibilities there. Michael did sit down with the kids the other night and told them that they needed to step up and do their jobs without me standing over them because I'm going to be busy with school.

As if that wasn't enough, Michael talked me into attending a seminar in Vernal last week. It was about medical transcription work. I was so impressed with what the guy said, and the fact that Michael has wanted me to get a job working at home, that I signed up for the course to learn medical transcription and editing. If all goes well I will have this course done by the end of summer so I won't be doing both things at the same time when school starts.

Ethan's 4th Birthday

Ethan got a bag of bubble stuff, bath soaps, a new hat, a scooter and more.
I love the juice mustache.

New, used car

We decided to buy a car this year with tax returns.

Most of the time when I'm running around it's just James and I so we don't need that big 15 passenger van that guzzles gas.

I already have a love hate relationship with it. We bought it on the 29th of February, ended up leaving it in Heber while bring it home. Made a trip to Heber on the 6th of March to bring it home and ended up leaving it at a muffler place instead. Had to have the catalytic converter replaced. Driving it from my sister-in-laws house to the shop Michael was only able to drive a maximum of 40 mph. After two days there and almost a thousand dollars in repairs it finally made it home. My brother-in-law drove it to Duchesne and I went there and picked it up. The shop said that we had a lot more work that needed to be done on it but I wasn't having anything done on it until my dad looked at it and was able to do the work himself. Tonight he looked at it and after resetting the computer it finally doesn't have any codes in it. The check engine light is finally off. Now hopefully I can drive it around town a little and make sure it's not going to bring any codes up. We just have to replace the spark plugs and wires, and the fuel filter and hopefully it will be a good car for us.

I don't ever want to buy a used car again, this one was a headache.

I'll have to post pictures later.

Aaron's 12th Birthday

Singing Happy Birthday to Aaron. Can't believe he's 12 already!

 Great-Grandma Anderson, Kezia, Dorothy, Kiley

 Annie

 James

Ethan

 Grandma Anderson and Kezia

 Grandpa Anderson

 Ammon

James

James found this spot at my window where he could look outside. He liked to climb up there a lot and look out. Wish I knew what he was thinking.

Friendships

I stole this from a ksl website. I wish I could write blog posts like this.


Whenever a women's expo or craft fair comes to town, it always makes me laugh at the booths listing wares that we as women are supposedly desperately wanting: goat lather soap, Zumba workouts, Montana-made syrup, and so on. And though I love to do Zumba in the shower while eating pancakes, I'm pretty sure what I really want is not at the expo.
Unless I'm with my friends.
In the last 11 years — while living in four states, three time zones and five homes — I have had a ton of experience making and keeping friends. Across this great continent, I’ve observed that I have consistently needed five types of friends to keep me sane and balanced.
First off, I trust your husband is hopefully your friend — best friend, even. However, he is not, never will be and never should be your all-in-one everything. No person should ever be burdened with fulfilling your every need, wish and whim for companionship. You will still need other women, both older and younger, to mentor you, serve you and look up to you.

1. My favorite and dearest friend is the Old Friend variety, who is like your favorite T-shirt: comfy, worn-in and, no matter what your mood, totally appropriate. This Old Friend knows your crazy family history and can write a pamphlet on why you are the way you are and how they like you anyway. She’s probably seen you in your underwear, heard you sobbing over the phone or held you while you despaired over new-mom woes. You don’t have to worry about being far away because, somehow across the miles or around the block, you are still best friends and comfortable in whatever state your friendship is in.
   Here's something to note: Sisters make great Old Friends.
   
2. Another essential friend is the Deep Friend. She’s the one who is like a therapist, only cheaper — and probably happy to eat ice cream with you as you delve into what makes a marriage really groovy. The Deep Friend is perfectly at peace with dissecting your family background and how that formed the person you are now. She loves discussing the world; religion; and how to have a better, happier and richer life. She is worth her weight in gold — or Prozac.
   
3. Your Mentor Friend is often the age of an older siblings or even your mother. Even though she might say the same things your mother does, you don’t roll your eyes or search for the number to the local mental hospital. It sounds so right and true and a lot less annoying coming from the Mentor Friend. You mother probably sends her a script, but who cares? The Mentor Friend commiserates and validates your concerns. The Mentor Friend says, “I’ve been there,” without sounding condescending. She watches your children because she misses her own and she makes sure to remind you often to make time for yourself. Sure, she might be slightly outdated when you compare her to all your hipster sisters, but the Mentor is one irreplaceable friend.
   A subset of the Mentor Friend is the Younger (Sister) Friend. To her, you are the mentor and the voice of reason when all pooh breaks loose with small children. As the Mentor Friend, you get to share your hard-earned lessons, helping steer the Younger Friend toward the light at the end of the nursing or toddler tunnel. It is insanely rewarding to share the small tidbits of wisdom that someone once delivered to you when you were buried under laundry and sporting under-eye bags the size of Manhattan.
   
4. Our next friend is one of my current favorites: the Surprise Friend. Finding this person is like visiting your local thrift store looking for a cool Halloween costume and you find J.Crew pants for $2. Surprise Friends are like sprinkles on the cake of life: colorful and unexpected. The Surprise Friend is the one you meet at a play group or school meeting and your first reaction is that you have nothing in common and she probably has socks that cost more than your entire wardrobe.
   Then you find out, as time goes on, that she’s not as shallow or weird as you originally thought and the notion of spending time with her sitting on a park bench watching your children hang by their toes doesn’t make you gag or feel like getting a root canal. You find that the Surprise Friend is actually funny. And smart! And not shallow! And she’s even willing to share her gold-plated socks!
   
5. The last and most-important friend you can have is one that took me many moons to collect. She’s one that many don’t realize is a necessity. It’s You. You should be one of your closest friends — and no, Dr. Phil did not pay me to say that. I hope that little voice in your head is like a great coach and not the mean girls from 6th grade, inherently critical and smarmy.
   I’ve trained myself to control my inner dialogue so that when I lose it and holler at one of my children for hitting their sibling (again) my first response is not, “You’re a loser mother,” but instead, “You will do better next time.”
   Some women still feel this adolescent need to always be with someone, texting someone or planning daily mommy play dates. But it’s OK to just be — to be with yourself and your thoughts and have awkward conversations like:
   
   You: “Hi.” Self: “Hi.” You: “How ar—” Self: “Fine.” You: “Are you going to work out at th—” Self: “Eh, probably not.” You: “Really? You know how good you feel afterw—” Self: “I know. I should... OK, I’ll go.” You: “Awesome! You're gonna lose 10 pounds!”
   Awkward, yes. Helpful? Double yes.
   And though I am a certified extrovert who has a habit of slightly oversharing and is a lover of people, I think many women need these distinct relationships to make their lives richer and happier.

Are these five friend styles the only ones suitable for sustaining a healthy friend closet? No. Is it necessary to collect friends like charm bracelets? Unless you're in 6th grade, no.
But I do know that it has taken many types of women over many years to help me be a better person, a better mother, a better wife. I need them. I need their wisdom, their laughter and their genuine humanity to rub off on me.
And that is far more useful that goat lather soap.

-Elizabeth Hill, KSL.com contributor 

Christmas Review

We had a good Christmas this year. On Christmas Eve we spent the afternoon with Michael's family in Duchesne. The kids went on 4-wheeler rides, and sledding on the hood of a car pulled by a 4-wheeler. We then picked up Michael from home where he'd gotten about two hours of sleep after working 30 hours straight. We then went to my parents house where we had dinner, read the Christmas story and opened presents. I had my camera with me for both activities but forgot to take any pictures.

On Christmas morning we woke up, opened presents from Santa and mom and dad. Went to church with Michael's family. Michael and I dropped the kids off at his parents house while we ran back to town to our ward where I had to lead the choir in a musical number in our Sacrament meeting. Back at Michael's parents we ate breakfast and then played a gift exchange game with presents that Michael's mom had put together. We then opened family gifts from Nate and Colleen and from his mom and dad. We had Michael's entire family, 22 people in all, there.


Everyone then loaded up in vehicles and we headed to Vernal to visit Michael's grandma Liz. The great-grand-kids all got a present from her and we ate dinner. Then back home we came where the kids cleaned up the mess from opening gifts and then played with their presents until bedtime.

It was a good day.