Yesterday

Well it has happened to me once again. Yesterday I wrote an awesome post, waxing poetic and thoughtful. Sadly, or fortunately, it is gone. Maybe it was a little too deep or maybe it was just too late at night and didn't make sense anyhow. No matter because it is gone, lost forever.
Instead I will write about Christmas and my latest project.
Christmas was fun, albeit crazy and hectic. My sister came in from Alabama with her family. With her having 7 kids it was a week of non-stop sleepovers and visiting. It was a lot of fun and we were so sad to see them go.
My kids really wanted to do the 12 days of Christmas again this year but I hadn't planned for it so we did the 7 days of Christmas. It was still fun and the kids seemed happy with their gifts. That always makes for a good Christmas.
Lars got me the food processor I've been eyeing. Sounds like a lame present, I know, but for me it is perfect. There is nothing I love to receive more than kitchen gear and gadgets! I've used it a ton already and just love it so much! We were so grateful to be in our new home for Christmas, though we all wished we were at Disneyland, we just were happy to be in our own home.

On to my project. I have made a goal to cook dinner every night for my family. Not to say I didn't cook a lot before but there were cereal or sandwich nights and way too many eating out nights. It seemed that if we for some reason had a late or busy evening we would eat out because it was getting late. So what changed is that I want to cook the meals at home, saving us money and giving us more nutritious meals. So if we make dinner at 7pm then that is when we make dinner. It actually has been pretty easy and so far delicious. The point is, when I decided to do this I wanted some more dinner recipes to work with. Now, I could easily go on the Internet and find endless recipes, I do that a lot. This time I wanted to try to gather recipes of friends. Tried and true meals that having been used by people I know and trust have good taste ;)
So far I have about 15 great recipes and am hoping to add more. Can't wait to compile them and start trying them out.

5-6-7...months that is

Yes, this is one of those all about my baby posts. He is adorable and I have to brag sometimes.

6 month stats:
19 pounds
29 inches
Cute as can be

Can you believe my "bathtub" baby is 7 months. Seems like yesterday I was waiting, waiting, waiting to have him. I seriously thought I was going to have an elephant pregnancy, I think they last 2 years. Yikes!

Sam is crawling, pulling up on furniture, smiling, laughing, and basically wrapping everyone around his little finger. He does love to party at 1 in the morning sometimes but that's what it's all about. Thank goodness it isn't all about the Hokey Pokey.


That's really it for today. I suppose I should do my after Christmas post next. Stay tuned.

Deer in the headlights

So, our new house is up in the hills a bit. What that means is that we have deer, a lot of deer, in the neighborhood.
It is so fun to walk to my car and see 3 or 4 down at the end of the road walking across the street early in the morning, or meandering in a nearby field. One night Lars and Henry were going to the store and saw one in the yard. The other kids and I looked out every window but we never did see it. You think deer and your mind conjures up images of peaceful forests, babbling brooks, and serene morning breezes.

But I have a confession. I am just as afraid of having a run in with a deer at night as I am of having a run in with, say...a mugger. When I go to my car late at night I am on high alert. I warily walk to the car listening, watching, ready to run or jump into the car should a mugger or, more realistically here in our small city in Utah, a deer should appear. I'm convinced if I catch one unaware that it will stomple me to death. (Yup, pretty sure that's a word)

So there you have it. Animal loving, wanna-be back woodsman, Crystal Andersen, is a little afraid of deer. (Though I also really wanna pet one!) :)

Shower

No we aren't talking about the fun parties when people get married or have a baby. We are talking about a real shower. Not that I know much about them, when I do see the shower it is about a one minute affair. Get in soap up, wash hair, hop out.
When you have a baby that wakes up at night to nurse you end up having to make a choice. Shower or sleep a little longer. The choice is simple...sleep.
Ok so it's not like I go around
un-showered for days at a time but I often have missed days for sure. It only feels like I walk around un-showered for days at a time.
Still a shower, or if I go really wild...a bath, feels like a luxury and is a treasured thing as a mom.
Don't take them for granted.

2012

It is amazing to me. Another year gone. Before I know it Sam will be 1. He is already over half a year old, hitting the ripe old age of 7 months just after Christmas.

I have a few goals this year.

Have more fun with my kids and don't sweat the small stuff.
Write on my blog everyday for a year starting with today.
Go to Disneyland :)

I have a couple more personal goals but these are a few of my main goals and hopes for this year.

So before we fully move into the new year a brief recap of 2011....

I got really huge (pregnancy)
Henry entered double digits (10)
Lilli turned 5
Sadly, an old friend passed away "before his time"
I had Sam, alone...in a bathtub
Went to San Francisco for the 1st time
Moved out of our beautiful home we ha worked so hard to restore.
We lived with family for 3 long months and learned patience and gratitude.
We finally moved into our new home!
Our renters decided they didn't like the amount of rent anymore so we "agreed" they would move out.
I stressed that our kids wouldn't have Christmas ;)
The great windstorm of 2011 and the miracle of the pine tree that fell and didn't damage anything.
Christmas with ALL my siblings.
The loss of another wonderful friend all too soon.
New years!
And here we are.

It has been an exciting year, full of happiness, sadness, strength, loss, newness, bonding, and adventures.

I can't wait to see what this year has in store and I hope to do all I can to make it a wonderful year for myself and my loved ones. (And I really hope it includes Disneyland!!!)

Miracles

MIRACLE

1

: an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs

2

: an extremely outstanding or unusual event, thing, or accomplishment

No matter how you define the word, I have seen many miracles in my life. Some big, some small, but when you experience a miracle you don't think about the size for they are always perfectly sized for your needs. They don't always come when you expect them, but they come when they are best for you. 

Such as our recent house-buying adventure...actually maybe I should start just a little further back with Sam's birth. 


For most of the month before Sam was born I had "false labor". Contractions would start and go on for hours and then eventually just fizzle out. I was worn out and ready to have my baby. I was tired of my body "teasing" me. Every time I would think labor was starting I would get so excited. Then it would stop and I would be so sad and frustrated. I would pray to Heavenly Father to please let it happen, please let me meet my baby boy that day. Heavenly Father kept telling me that all would be well,  that my baby would be well, and that his timing was the perfect timing. I would feel comforted but still frustrated. Of course the Lord was right. His timing is perfect. I have to believe that he meant for Sam and I to have that moment alone. Every other time, Lars was home, or could hurry home. Every other time my neighbor, who is a midwife, was home. Every other time was perfect according to me, at the time. I kept joking that when I finally went into labor that the baby would come with a bang, that I wouldn't have anytime. Everyone laughed at me and told me that was wishful thinking, that I would have plenty of time. When the time really came, it was nothing like I had planned for or expected. 
Of course I've already written about the experience but this post is more about miracles and in this instance, trusting in the Lords timing and plan for each of us. I never ever thought I would have a baby all alone at home. I never thought I would go to my due date, as I never had before, and especially since I had been having contractions for 3 weeks. When the time actually came it was subtle at first and then BANG! Sam was making his arrival. And yet, it was perfect. Contraction on top of contraction, to the point that when i tried to call Lars i could barely talk, not because of pain necessarily but when your stomach muscles are being squeezed that hard you just can't talk. It really wasn't the worst pain I've ever been in, but it is the most intense sensations. I never felt panicky at all. I remember wishing for it to slow down, praying out loud "Please let this slow down enough for Rebecca and Lars to get here"
I think it was by the next contraction that I knew that wasn't going to happen. I gave myself over to the Lord, putting Sam and I in his hands. And that is exactly where we belong. He guided us through perfectly. And as I sat there looking down at my baby, him looking back at me, just the two of us, I knew he was right. His timing is perfect. I am very selfish with my babies.I love to hold them all the time, I hate "sharing" them, so having those moments with Sam just to myself is so precious to me. So the miracle of Sam's birth, the lesson I take away, is that the Lord's time is the perfect time.

Yet, I didn't really learn it the first time around I guess because shortly after Sam was born we decided to rent out our house and buy a house that suited our family's needs better. Thus began that longest few months of my life. We put an offer on a house and things were progressing fairly quickly, until we began to run into roadblock after roadblock. Each time the roadblocks were cleared and things worked out much better than they would have otherwise. The Lord knows our needs. There were several times that we were so close to closing on the house and something would happen to delay it. It was almost deja vu like. I was back to crying to the Lord, telling him I couldn't wait one more minute. Wait I did and things worked out perfectly, much better than my own plans. In fact the roadblocks brought about miracles that wouldn't have come about otherwise. 


There are everyday miracles as well. Things that maybe don't scream divine intervention as much as extraordinary events. Then there are the things that are absolutely ordinary events but in their quiet way scream that there is a divine purpose to life, and there is more beyond this life. Sometimes you have to watch for the miracles and sometimes you'd have to be extremely stubborn not to realize you have witnessed a miracle. What is amazing to me is that often those with the least recognize miracles in their life more than those with much more of this worlds goods. Maybe because they aren't taking for granted things we feel are essentials that really are extras.

This is the season of miracles, or so it is often called. I think we see it that way because we are looking for and are more open to them. Then there is the fact that there are more people bringing about miracles for others as they try to help those with less. I think that is Christ's gift to us. To give us a time where our efforts are more concentrated, more sincere, and more gratefully received. It is a time when we can refocus. It is when we can give him a gift my serving others around us as he would have us do.

Miracles, they happen on a daily basis. Sometimes they are big, sometimes they are small. Hopefully we can recognize each one and thank our Father in Heaven for them all.

My oh my, how time does fly

Well, here we are. December. Hard to imagine that it is almost 2012. I remember when the year 2000 sounded so far and distant. When it seemed that by the time we got here we would be living like the Jetsons. Yet here we are, and though many amazing advances have been made in so many areas, I still don't have a robot maid. :)

So here is what's been happening in our lives. We rented out our house in Salt Lake City. Put an offer on a short sale, and lived with Lars' brother for 3 months. (An adventure in and of itself, though I am grateful for their generosity) And now here I am. In my new home that I love so much.

The great windstorm of 2011 has come and gone, hopefully for good. We lost a tree from our backyard in Salt Lake City. Thankfully our guardian angels must have been on duty because we were extremely blessed to have sustained no damage to our or our neighbors house.
I had just pulled up out back, I was coming over to do some work at the house. I was about to pull into the parking behind the house when I happened to glance over and thought "Something looks weird about the house" It took me about a millisecond to realize that I could see the house far too clearly. Then I began to panic, sure that there was a large whole in the house. These were the thoughts running through my head as I ran around to the front of the house to check out what damage had been done. "Oh my goodness, this is awful. I can't believe this! Crap! There is a big whole in the house and then we won't be able to rent it out and we will lose both houses and end up on the streets!"
Not dramatic at all. As I rounded the front of the house I stopped in my tracks. "No way", I breathed. The tree had damaged absolutely nothing. Not the fence, not the electrical wires, and most importantly, not the houses. I was stunned. I sent up a quick prayer of gratitude and continued to walk around not quite able to believe that not a single thing had been damaged.

The ironic thing is that the winds by our new home were much stronger, most damage done in Utah by this storm was in our city and the one next to it. And yet I lose my tree in Salt Lake.

So I am grateful. Grateful for small, and big, miracles. We've seen so many, and during this storm we saw and heard of so many. And now we have something to talk about at our upcoming neighborhood emergency preparedness meeting. Though I must say, the way the neighborhoods banned together to help clean up afterward was inspiring and was a great way to kick off the Christmas season. People helping their neighbors and even strangers. Isn't that what it really is about. I'm not grateful for the tragedies but I am grateful for the outpouring of kindness, love, and helpfulness after them. May we carry that through the season and beyond.

The tree as seen from the back parking area

It is amazing that wind can do this

It took down some lighting we had in the backyard but still no damage. 

Look at that, the fence is amazingly not crushed.