Early Easter with Visitors

Here is Marianne. All dressed up headed to her namesake's viewing. She looks pretty sad about the matter, though I think she is mostly upset at those cute piggies I put in her hair.
Amy and her kids were here for a few days for the funeral and stayed with us. We had missed them and it was fun to spend time just letting the kids play. They seemed to pick up just where they left off. The 1st night we dyed easter eggs. Usually we dye eggs with Jake. One of us helps Kate and the other helps Sam. This time we did it while Jake was working. Amy had her two kids and I had my three. It was fun-ish. But mostly messy. You'll see Kate in three different outfits during the course of the ten minute project and naked due to spilling cup fulls of dye all over herself, me and the kitchen.





After all his work, Sam tries and doesn't like green eggs....

We went the park and had a picnic, we let the kids ride their bikes, they played games, and other special things, but of course the picture I have is play the IPAD. And were so happy about it.
I started letting M have these really biscut like cookies. She is happy and downs them.
Ready for an easter egg hunt. We know it is still a bit from Easter, but it was something fun to do while our cousins were here. We had filled some plastic eggs, dyed eggs the night before and Amy brought us huge chocolate eggs from Switzerland filled with toys that were a big hit. Also I think this picture really captures the difference between having two children and having three children. Amy had anticipated this easter egg hunt. She brought her children cute baskets, had spring shirts for them to wear. My children are using baskets previously in the bathroom holding soap and toilet paper that just minutes before this picture I dumped out into the bathroom sink so they could use them, in clothing that is thrown on- including snow boots, and I have not brushed their hair though it is after dinner. What you going to do.

Grandma MaryAnn

My sweet Grandma Wood passed away today.

After a long, brave three year battle with lung cancer.

I treasure these pictures of her with my children.

It made me so pleased to share my children with her and she made it very obvious how pleased she was with her great-grandchildren.

Her with Marianne feb 2012- Marianne gets to meet her namesake

Her with Samuel 12-09- She spent Christmas with us.

Her with Kate 4-07 Kate was just days old and she came to Utah just to meet her.

She was such a wonderful matriarch to our family.

I'm so proud to have a daughter named for her.

And to be her granddaughter myself.

I have lots of wonderful memories of my grandmother.

Lots of silly things- like how she would always threaten to sell us to the indians.

Lots of selfless things- like how if you complimented something she offered to give it to you

And and example of both- how as a young teen we went for Thanksgiving to her home. In (what seemed like the middle of the night to a 13 year old) I heard (robbers) in the kitchen. I finally braved up and went to see what all the noise was, and of course it was her, in the wee hours of the morning in the kitchen beginning the prep work for a Thanksgiving dinner I most certainly took for granted until I cooked my 1st Thanksgiving just years ago.

We love you Grandma!

Grandma Came To Town... and brought her IPAD

Grandma Anderson came to town.

She spent almost 4 days with us.

Taking us out for treats, and to the park, and babysitting, and buying me vintage suitcases and general helping with kids.

It was a nice little vacation for me.

Although I hardly feel rested because we always stayed up way to late chatting.

She brought her IPAD. We don't have one. We have considered getting one but now know it will not be a purchase in the near future. Because our kids were obsessed with it. Obsessed. Grandma helped them download funny apps and stories. It was a special treat.
She also brought Sam his birthday present early. And he was in love.

"I'm a basketball player" he would say.

My two year old boy saying "basketball" is hard to beat on a cuteness scale.
She attempted to take a family picture of us all together on our way to church.

Of course it was mostly a hilarious fail.
We loved having her stay and can't wait for her to return with my lil sis for Spring Break.

Meeting A Name Sake

Marianne with MaryAnn Wood her maternal maternal great-grandmother.
Marianne with her Great-Aunt Carol. She really is great too. We have been so lucky, Marianne and I have spent a lot of time with Aunt Carol this year.

I had put my camera away before Marianne was held by her other great-aunt. So no pictures. But Marianne almost immediately spit up all over her Great Aunt Marilyn too. What a trooper.

Sunday seemed like the perfect chance to go and visit my Grandma Wood. She only lives a little over an hour away now. She has had a lot of health problems lately so we haven't been able to visit yet (my three loud kids are overwhelming to anyone). But Sunday my Aunt Carol as well as my Aunt Marilyn and Cousin Tina were all there. So Marianne and I decided to make the trip alone. Marianne was named for this beautiful grandmother of mine and I thought it about time they meet.

Marianne really turned on the charm for everyone.

Doing all her best tricks, like smiling, giggling, goo-gooing, and rolling all around for the better part of 5 hours.

She won over everyone of course, even me. She was simply delightful to enjoy without the other kids around.

I enjoyed visiting with these four wonderful women.

Grandma Mary Ann is one tough cookie. She has has a hard life, and continues to, but she is always full of grace and love. She seemed proud to have a great grand daughter named after her. I know I am proud to have a daughter with such a wonderful namesake. Most of all I enjoyed a still moment watching Marianne and Grandma cuddle together in grandma's bed.

Grandpa Day

Grandpa Anderson came to visit for the day. He was driving through and spent the night (on thefuton in the play room). We enjoyed visiting with him until late at night. And a full morning withGrandpa spoiling kids. It included pancakes, present, and a trip to the park.




What fun it was to have our 1st visitor.

We loved every minute.

Long Holiday in Heber, Utah

We had to be out of the house on Baxter by 9:00 am Friday morning. We have had about 11 days before we can move into our new home. So in the mean time we have been taking a long Christmas Vacation at my parents house. We have never really lived with parents before since being married other than a month or so between homes before we had children. Turns out it is really awesome. We almost wish we didn't have a new home to get too and could stay longer.

No Really!

People make children breakfast, lunch and dinner, and us for that matter. I've only done the dishes once in 10 days. And there are always treats. People plan fun crafts and acitivities for children, play with them, give them presents, bath them, get them dressed, rock them to sleep, and watch them while I run errands I need to, go on dates with my husband and out with friends. Right now, my sweet aunt Carol is at my parents home as well. So really the adult to child ratio for most of our stay has been 5 adults to 3 children. It means I have lots and lots and lots of happy help caring for kids.

I've been able to spend tons of time on the phone trying to get Kate approved for health insurance, setting up new utilites, and doing all those silly moving type things that take forever without being interuppted by fighting kids. I've done all our Christmas shopping. I could go on and on. We've had tons of visitors and cousin over for family Christmas parties. We really are going to miss the people and the help that staying at my parents has included. It has made us already look forward to our Christmas visit next year. What a great stress less time inbetween moving out one home and in another.

Cousins showing off bff necklaces.

Cousins in a tub. The kids requested a bath in the waterfall bathtub almost every night and never wanted to get out.

The kids enjoying toys at Grandma's. They mostly played well together

A night out on the North Pole Express. With grandma, grandpa and all the grandkids minus Marianne. My kids knew just what to do when Santa came I was told and started shouting gift requests.

The kids thought their room at Grandma and Grandpa Anderson's was so great. One big queen bed for them to share, windows they could watch the Christmas lights out of, and their very own little Christmas tree in the corner. Grandma had a new ornament for them to make and hang everday, and Sam loved plugging in the colored lights. They had an advent calander for each night too.

A visit from Great Grandma Elaine and Tom, with gifts that were well loved.