Ultrasound today....

....and its a BOY!

(pretend the baby is sitting on a glass table and you are looking up. The legs aren't really visable--they are point to the left--but you can see the bum)

Thanksgiving 2009

I was so excited to find out that the Ward's were going to come for Thanksgiving. Sometimes I feel sort of far removed from my family, so to have Leah and her family come was a happy time for me. And with the help of Shanda and Leah, putting together the dinner was rather simple. (the only hiccup came when the turkey didn't defrost all the way...which just meant a little more time in the oven)
(yum...my favorite..."Christine's Raspberry salad)

MENU:

Turkey and stuffing

mashed potatoes and gravy

West Bank tomato casserole

sweet potato casserole

broccoli and cheese sauce

orange rolls

Grandmother Munns Blueberry salad

Christine's Raspebrry salad

pumkin pie

clam dip and scoops

These were our little helpers. The girls did a great job setting the tables for us.

This was my "before" plate. My eyes were definately bigger than my stomach. And by the end, the pants were unbuttoned....I should've gotten a Tee size plate.

Leah and Shanda...notice the knife in the picture...that was Jordan's cameo.

THE KIDS TABLE....that was a rucous table!

Tee sat next to me (Tyler had been in Utah for the last 10 days. He comes home Tuesday. Hooray!)

We love the Ward's and are so glad they braved the LONG drive to spend the holiday with us. The kids LOVED every minute of it. Lots of lego builing and card games and movie watching and even an afternoon of swimming. And the grown ups got in some shopping and a movie (New Moon) and Wii....it was a wonderful weekend.

Til next time, WARDS!

Halloween 2009

This Halloween, the kids had 4....yes 4 events to go to. So by the end, I was exhausted and didn't take pictures at the last one. Oh well.

I told the kids I wasn't buying anything for Halloween this year....they just had to make do with what they could find around the house. (Besides, that is what we did growing up, and it was just fine....mom's closet was a treasure trove of funky outfits. I seem to remember a certain red and black metallic-y number that I LOVED)

This is Avery "supergirl" and Josie "ladybug" at the ward trunk or treat. My camera died before I could get anyone else's picture...way to plan, Erika.

Avery "supergirl", Josie "ladybug" and Jett "vampire" at the school's trick or treat. Duce missed it because he had a football game and Tee was off trick or treating with a little friend and Aunt Shanda.

In the past, I've haven't really encouraged the kids to be scary ghoulish thing. Maybe it's becuase I'm a little more tired these days, but slapping on some white paint and an old Darth Vader cape was so simple that I agreed to it.

SUPERGIRL enjoying her chocolate at Duce's football game.

Here are the kids at our little downtown trick or treating. There was a little costume switcharoo.

FROGGER - - - SUPERGIRL - - - SCARY WITCH - - - GREEN VAMPIRE - - -FOOTBALL PLAYER

Anderson Baby #6

Here is my official "blogger" announcement!

My due date is April 15th, but for those of you who know me and my babies, the first week of April sounds more like it. They generally are big and I deliver a little early so they don't get bigger (Jett was delivered 10 days early and was 10 lb 2 oz).

Duce Tackle Football

#65 the Steelers

This is Duce's first year in tackle football and he really is having fun. Before his first game he said to Tyler and I, "I'm so nervous. I'm nervous down into my bones. I just can't wait to feel that ball in my hands!" He never did feel the ball during the game....he is O line and D line. He is the youngest on his team. He is in 2nd grade and everyone else is 4th and 5th grade. Considering the age gap, he is really holding his own out their with those older boys. And as long as he is having fun, that is all that matters. He is a tank out there on the line and we couldn't be prouder!

Their team is the only undefeated team so far...3-0!

Jett's Flag Football

Flag Football has been going on for a few weeks now and Jett is in heaven! And not to brag or anything, but the kid is AMAZING! The coaches are good about letting other kids get their hands on the ball, but whenever a touchdown is wanted, they just get the ball to Jett and EVERY TIME, he puts 6 up on the board. He is fast and jukes these little kids left and right! (makes it look like he can do it in his sleep) We are very proud of him!

we miss Jack Jack

(and uncle daniel and aunt emily)

We had them come visit us last week and what fun it was! The kids adored jack jack and the boys couldn't get enough time with uncle dan. And when avery found out they had left, she teared up that she didn't really get to say goodbye to aunt emily and jackson. I'm sure life with five rambunctious kids will allow them to appreciate their day to day with one little guy...the quiet in the morning...afternoon....night. But we sure loved having them and hope they will come back soon!

yum

Nothing like blueberry cobbler and vanilla ice cream....Tee agrees!

Down by the river

Tyler was gone on Saturday for another away football game, so while Tee was down for his nap (thanks, shanda for keeping an ear out for him), I took the big kids down to the river for a couple of hours.

The girls enjoyed relaxing in the sun on the biggest flat rock I've ever seen! Everyone got a teeny bit of color on their cheeks. Its amazing how quickly the summer sun kissed look fades. We were all looking bit pale, so its nice to see a little rosy color on their noses again.

(whats some time in the sun without an ice cold diet coke to sip on!

The boys spent much of their time snorkeling. Even Boss got in on the action. Each time the kids swam out, he was right behind them.

The boys were great at crawdad catching, too. If only we could get bigger ones...Tyler said he would like a crawdad boil....sound sort of delicious to me right now. (Jett got attached to his)

my hard working tomato plant

I had no idea that my tomato plants would #1 produce SO many tomatoes and #2 that they would be so amazingly DELICIOUS! Last night, I was starving. Tyler is out of town which means I was off the hook for dinner. The kids had wheat thins, ice cream sandwiches, I think a few had a waffle or two and the rest had peanut butter and fluff. So around 10 PM I was needing some REAL food. I wandered into the kitchen and saw some of my beautiful tomatoes on the counter. I opened the fridge and there was a little baggie with some crumbled bacon, so I made a BLT. Smothered some good ole "stick to the roof of your mouth" white bread with some mayo (the real stuff), sliced into one of the tomatoes, sprinkled some coarse salt and fresh cracked pepper and then bit into the most mouth watering sandwich I have ever had. It was so good, that I had to call my mom to tell her about it (she has had my tomatoes and wishes there were a way to mail them to her). So this afternoon, when I as grubbing around in the kitchen, looking for something to eat, I HAD to make another one....just minus the bacon. And to tell you the truth, I didn't even miss it! In fact, it was so good, I had a second one! MMMM.

And look at my tomato plant. For months now, it had been giving us delicious tomatoes. And the poor thing...a part of every plant is dead or dying. Its needing to be propped up to keep limbs from snapping or from falling over. I thought it would have quit giving tomatoes awhile ago, but the old thing is still pumping them out! I feel a weird sense of sisterhood with this plant. I know what it going through. Limbs bending and breaking in order to support the fruit, so many green baby tomatoes hanging everywhere, working well into the "fall of its lifetime". It may look a little rough around the edges, probably needs as good pruning or something, but despite its outward appearance, those tomatoes are the best I've ever had. The plant never complains about the bugs on it, or that the dog sometimes uses the grass in front of it as a bathroom. It just keeps working...making more tomatoes. So hears to you, my devoted hard working plant! Keep up the good work and I will try to follow your lead.

school FINALLY starts

FINALLY, the kids have started school. They had the worlds longest summer and I think everyone was ready for a little bit of scheduled time. Avery started kindergarted. She was a little apprehensive, but the first day was only a few hours and parents were asked to come and stay, so she did just fine. And off she went today, with the boys, for her first full day of school.

Jett was out of the car before he could even give a kiss. (1st grade for Jett)

Duce almost forgot his backpack...and his mind! "What do I do? Where do I go?" Same as last year, dear! (2nd grade for Duce)

Smiles on all their faces when Ipicked them up....GREAT first day of school!

Labor Day parade

current Governor Tim Kaine

Duce is in cub scouts now, so his little troop marched in our towns Labor Day parade. Who knew that teeny tiny BUENA VISTA was essentially the kick off point for Virginia's highly publicized Governor's race! No wonder there were THOUSANDS of campaign signs. The current Governor and the Republican ad Democratic candidates were there. They walked passed us and shook our hands. By the end of the parade, the kids pockets were stuffed with candy and each was COVERED in campaign stickers from EVERY candidate.

Democratic candidate Creigh Deeds - - - - - - - - - - Republican candidate Bob McDonnell

And Duce....well he did wonderful and w cheered him on vigorously when he walked passed!

Duce's Baptism

Duce had his baptism this weekend. My parents and brother, Daniel, were in town for the football game. Both Daniel and my mom gave a talk. It was very short and very simple, but VERY wonderful. I can't believe Duce is 8! I remember when it was just him and me at home in our little Tooele apartment! We are quite proud of him.

some family pictures outside the church

trip to OHIO

Since Tyler and Jordan are completely tied up with football camp, Shanda and I took the chance to go to OHIO to see Leah and meet our newest niece, Margaret (MARGE).

It is an 8 hour car ride. Lots of snacks (and bathroom breaks) Too bad 45 minutes into our return trip, the DVD player quit working. ARG!

We got babysitters and went out! We did a little bit of shopping, eating and then hit up the movies.

We saw "THE PROPOSAL". It was quite funny! (see Margaret "peekaboo-ing")

Shanda and I took the kids to the TOLEDO Zoo.

The polar bears were THE BEST part! (the rest, not so much....SO HOT!)

My kids are so jaded to zebras and water buffaloes, since my parents have some at their house down in FL. They had NO interest at looking at the "Serengeti" to try and find the zebras. And all Tee wanted to do the WHOLE trip was ride in the wagon and drink the diet coke. (ah, that's my boy!)

One night, Grandma and Shanda made sushi. YUM! I'm not normally a sushi lover but for some reason, these were DELIGHTFUL!
(and a little peanut butter pie for breakfast...yum!)

And then there was OF COURSE, the main reason we went to visit the Ward's...baby Margaret

ISN'T SHE DARLING?

Thanks Wards for letting us invade your house for a week and mom for the day trips/dinners/movie!! With us and Grandma Munns, we were quite the full house. Until next time.....!

Those of you who know Tee, know crying is what he does best. This is what was happening on the floor of the kitchen this afternoon.

And do you want to know WHY this fit was happening....it is because he couldn't get this pretty yellow dress up shoe on the way he wanted!

Fresh Garden Tomatoes

Between our tomatoes and our wonderful neighbor, we have tomatoes coming out of our ears!

So yesterday, Shanda and I decided to make some homemade tomato sauce. And man is it delicious! We sauteed up some garlic, onions, green onions, and zucchini. Then added ALL the tomatoes, some salt and pepper and little beef stock and let it simmer away for a few hours.

YUM!

Jupiter PART 2

Here are a few more from Jupiter. And yes, there are some more. I am feeling a little "landlocked" here in Virginia and posting these pics is sort of therapeutic for me. If I close my eyes, I can still feel the slow rocking of the boat......ah.........nice!

The boys always pick the best spot in the boat for the ride out!

Tyler reeling in one of his catches...and Jordan (the cowboy fisherman hero of the trip). Without Jordan, Daniel and Collins amazing knowledge of fishing/boating/and the ocean, we could have been disasterous!

Even Ryan held his own out there. He was the only man to come out on the "girls trip" and he was busy taking fish off hooks! On the last trip out, we somehow stalled out the engine and couldn't get the prop back in the water. Ryan did his best to fix it and in the process, slipped in and sliced a nice big CHUNK of leg off on the prop. (we chum our own water!) Christine (Collin's wife) works in the medical field and took a look at it. She wrapped it and we had to wait until the boat guy came to help us!

LOVED LOVED LOVED that trip! Cameras clicking away!

(and LOVE that face!)

a few pics from Jupiter

(Daniel is reeling in his catch.........and I LOVE seeing Dad sitting on his make shift seat on Collin's boat!)

This trip to Jupiter has been one of my most favorite family trips to date. The kids had fun, Tyler and I had fun....the sun....the water....the fishing....AMAZING! There were quite a few fishing trips out with numerous cameras. These pics were taken from the one ours....when I get the rest, we will post the best from those trips. LOVE LOVE LOVE Jupiter. And we are already looking forward to next summer's trip!

It gets quites hot while out on the open water, so this is how the boys cooled off. On the other boat, there were sharks circling....but not this boat. I wasn't out on this trip. But on the one I went out on, there were sharks circling our boat at one point, too. After that, there was no more "ocean swimming"!

This is the PRIZED dolphin...Duce was the only one to catch one this trip!

Tyler and his red snapper!

The whole weekend was the perfect way to end our summer vacation in Florida. See that smile on my mom's face....that is how we all felt! Thanks Grandma and Go-dad Munns for these priceless memories!

9 years of wedded bliss

Nine years ago, I made the best decision of my life!

Harry Potter Movie Night

(YES I made glasses out of pipe cleaners! And YES I wish I had a Gryffindor banner or cape and YES my son Duce was humiliated by me and YES people looked at me funny and YES I was the only one with any type of Harry Potter paraphernalia on!)
I love the Harry Potter books. I didn't start reading them until last year and I am ready to read them all over again. The first time through, I rushed because I wanted to know what happened next....now I want to go back and actually enjoy and soak in more of JK Rowling's incredible imagination! So it should be no surprise that I wanted to go to see the latest movie.

My brother, Ryan, and his two oldest, along with his brother-in-law, Jonathan, my mom, my sis-in-law Emily and Duce and Jett came along for the show.

The movie was scarier than I thought (can't believe it was only rated PG) and like all Harry Potter movies, SO much was left out! But all in all I enjoyed it and am looking forward to the 2 PART final movie(s)...yup...they are making the last book into 2 movies! About twenty minutes into the movie, Jett told me he was cold and wanted to lay down. I was to ingrossed in the show and must have mumbled something to him that said "lie down then" because when the movie was over, he was asleep on the NASTY theater floor! (good thing because he slept right through the really scary parts)

Camel lashes!

My baby, Tee, had eyelashes to DIE for. This picture was taken at Crystal River out by the pool. But it looks so amazing to me, that I thought it deserved its own post! It seems a waste to have such voluminous lashes on a boy!

Crystal River and Scalloping in the gulf!

(This is what happens when you go too many hours out on the ocean WITHOUT sunscreen. Tsk. Tsk.)

Last weekend, my family went over to Crystal River to do a little "scalloping". And let me just tell you....it was FUN!!! I LOVE snorkeling...add in the thrill of finding scallops and I didn't want to come back into the boat. Duce and Jett had a great time in the water, too, and were each successful in their snorkel attempts. The girls and baby Tee stayed back at the hotel (with grandma) and went swimming in the pool. The hotel rooms were a bit rough, but the pool and park were GREAT! There were oysters and fishing trips galore...and what is a Munns boating trip without running out of gas...yes....it happened again! That just means more time to fish and swim, right?!

Dad, Daniel and Jordan shucking the scallops

Jordan and Shanda grilled up some freshly caught oysters and served them up....a cracker and some hot sauce. I think this was my first oyster....not exactly delicious, but not as bad as I expected....you mostly just taste cracker and hot sauce....maybe that's the point.

I finally convinced Duce to try one. He was a little hesitant, but finally ate it.

IT WAS A LOVELY WEEKEND. THANKS GRANDMA AND GO-DAD MUNNS!!!

Before leaving, the boys filleted the fish. Then last night we had a "fish fry" with some of the catch from the weekend...plus some frog legs Daniel had caught previously. Yum! (I did not try the frog legs...and Tyler called me a wimp!)

Gold and Tee

Goldie and Tee squeezed into a one man stroller for a little walk around the house. (I love that Tee is grabbing Gold's finger the entire time!)

(and if you haven't noticed, I've discovered the "collage" on Picasa....makes posting a lot of pictures so much faster and easier)

I'm all "banged" up!

So after much debate, I have only trimmed my hair and my sisters all talked me into bangs. Haven't had them since 6th grade. Most of the time, I like them. But the times I don't, thank heavens for bobby pins! My cutest husband had said many many months ago no to me getting bangs, so I was nervous to tell him. He flew in from Utah and when I picked him up, I had them pinned back so he couldn't tell. We chatted a bit once we were back in the car. I finally turned to him and said, " I have to tell you something and you can't get upset. (pause) My sisters are really really excited, my mother is thrilled and even my dad said this isn't a bad thing." Now, as I'm saying this, his expression is going blank and he looks like a deer in the headlights and I realize that it sounds like I am about to tell him I'm pregnant! So to put the poor man out of his misery I quickly take the pin out and fluff my hair down and say, "I got bangs!" The relief that washed over his face made me laugh. My sister later asked him, given the choice...bangs or pregnant....he quickly said "bangs!".

During my hair debate, I found that just about every guy I asked said NOT to cut it and just about every girl said to cut it....except my sisters. They were adamant about me not cutting. And since Shelly is my hairdresser, I went with NO cut.....for now at least. So I just trimmed off about 3 inches. And NO I didn't darken it either. This is my natural color. I guess having the bangs makes my hair look darker!

Happy 4th of July

HAPPY 4th of JULY

We spent the 4th of July at my parents house. We had family over and ate the most delicious food...pulled pork BBQ sandwiches, grilled corn on the cob, homemade cherry pie, raspberry salad, green book club salad, kidney bean salad, watermelon....and yes, the list goes on!

(you can just make out a white dot and a brown dot in the pond. That is Boss and Sugar...they were doing laps, trying to catch the geese!)

We went swimming and fishing. The boys were trying to catch the little baby resident gator in my parents pond. The kids all had a blast with the sparklers. Only one injury....Josie put her hot sparkler in the bucket, but somehow managed to burn her fingers in the process (its always an Anderson getting burned on the 4th!)

Sam did a nice little fireworks show, followed by Duce lighting his birthday fireworks. When ours were all over, we went out to the dock to watch the other fireworks from around the lake. It was a great way to spend the day.

PS: if you haven't, read 1776. It certainly made me appreciate the sacrifice that so many went through in order for us to live in this amazing free country that we do!

Duce's birthday at the beach!

(you can sort of see the rocks in the water....kind a bummer for boogie boarding)
A DAY AT THE BEACH

Duce picked to spend his 8th birthday at the beach. It was a little too hot for me. And it was low tide and there were rocks everywhere, so not the ideal beach day, but the kids had fun, nonetheless. Despite the danger of busting it on the rocks, they all tried boogie boarding, too. Tee was Tee. Roaming and doing everything to keep Tyler and I from ever sitting down! The girls built sand castles that they decorated with sea shells. What a fun way to spend the day! Happy Birthday, Duce! (Friday the 3rd was his actual birthday, even though we had a party last week for him)

Tee and Tyler were matching in their striped board shorts!

Swimming Swimming Swimming

WE LOVE SWIMMING. Especially when Tyler is in the pool to throw the kids around! (don't you LOVE the girls suits...and they were only $5 from Old Navy!)

I remember the few times my dad got in the pool when we were kids and how much I LOVED to get a "whale ride". The tradition continues...my kids swarm Tyler for a ride each time he gets in the pool.

WE LOVE SWIMMING!

Love at first CLUCK

Duce got a chicken from his Go-dad Munns for his birthday. And Tee LOVED it! He couldn't get close enough to her. This poor little "Hilliary HULK" (that is her name) is in for it with Tee. He seriously want to eat it he loves her so much...a little too much like Ozzy Osbourne!

Duce's 8th birthday party

Duce turns 8 next week. But because some BELOVED cousins are going to be out of town, we decided to have an early party. My mother had gotten these HULK outfits for all the little boy cousins. Duce loved his and wanted his party to be HULK. So my darling mother went out and bought 3 more (for the invited non-family members) so that all the boys could be matching.

The party went as follows:
Partiers show up and put on HULK outfits
Scavenger hunt around the hacienda...with a mini one inside for the "under 5 yrs" age group
Hot HULKERS have popsicles
Eat Pizza with HULK juice (lemonade with green food coloring)
Open presents
Eat cake (thank you Publix!) and ice cream
Then SWIM SWIM SWIM!

It was a great LOW KEY party. And while we were in the pool, Duce turned to me and said, "Mom, this is the best birthday party ever!" Ahhhh, just what I love hearing!

We spent part of Saturday over on some of my dad's property helping with the cows...I say help...we watched. Actually, I took a tally of the herd...how many heifer and bull calfs. The kids had fun grubbing around and doing their best to be a part of the action. Kara and Shelly brought popsicles because DANG it was hot. Gotta love a little ranching...thank heavens for a pool. Afterwards, we all went back to the house te swim.