2.28.2008

imagine


"i wanna just squish you, squeeze your head off and dangle you from my rear-view mirror!"

that's what paula had to say about david archuleta's latest performance. creepy? yes, a little. but did you hear this kid's rendition of john lennon's imagine on tuesday night? i did-and i quickly wiped a few tears from my eyes before stevie could tease me for it. then today gina, emilie and i watched the performance a few more times (maybe twenty?). i can't get over it-tingles! his falsetto? it floats. control? you betchya. i loved that he chose not to sing the first verse (that would have been typical). i love that he mixed it up right off the bat and i LOVED his stage presence. sixteen or seventeen and one slightly flat note the others pure perfection? forget about it-if this kid doesn't win it, you can squish me and squeeze my head off and hang it from whatever you want. and if jason yeager or that danny guy make it one more week you can just shoot me in the head now.

true domestic


look at me-a toddler on my hip, another growing in my belly, and baking cookies. in an apron. it doesn't get more domestic than this.

2.27.2008

throwing rocks

it was 55 degrees today. 55! nash and i toured the gateway and then came home to play. after a walk to the end of the block and back, it seemed the perfect time to take down the christmas lights (at least i got them down before march came, right?). while removing the strings from deep within the shrubbery i heard nash giggles and hurried to see what could be so funny. it was rocks. throwing rocks to be exact:



he continued this for nearly 45 minutes, i kid you not. the best giggles came when i threw rocks with him, but i couldn't exactly film it at the same time. seriously-how can something so simple be so entertaining? gosh i love this kid.

2.22.2008

bouncy balls

check out lindsay's You Tube Friday post. LOVE IT!

2.21.2008

blogging tool of the year!

where have i been? apparently in a dark closet. or in the snowed-in world that has been utah this winter. which actually is not a helpful excuse because that should give me more time to spend on the internet. what am i talking about? only the most efficient and amazing blogging tool ever: google reader! alison turned me on to this while in vegas over the weekend and i couldn't be more excited about it. so now instead of going to my blog a few times a day and scrolling one by one through my blog links, checking for a friend's new post, then returning to my blog for the next link i can just log into google (reader) and it conveniently displays my "reading list" which shows me any of my subcriptions' new posts! i don't even have to go to the actual blog unless i want to comment, but that's easy because i can just click on the blog's title and voila! a few of us had been wondering how alison manages to be the first to comment on every blog in the entire world, and this is how she does it! {sorry to reveal your secret, adi!} it took maybe twenty minutes to manually add all my blogs to my google reader subcriptions and i was off and running. so, expect more comments {and timely ones} from me from now on.

2.19.2008

vegas vacation!

we went down to vegas for the long weekend to spend some time with bri bri, adi & emmers. steve wanted to golf, so thank heavens for a free place to stay and some company for the wives! nash had his first trip to the park since becoming mr. independent. he loved being able to run around outside. he tackled his first trip down the slide and his first swinging session.

the boys went golfing saturday so adi and i went to the new H&M (there are now two!) at a new outdoor shopping center at the south end of the strip. there was a cute little playground there, which is officially nash's "first playground" adventure. he's still a bit small for most of the fun stuff, but running around in the sun seemed to satisfy him-he was all giggles. when we tried to make him hold still for pictures, this is what happened (or it could have been his developing fear of his bully-girl-cousin emery!!!):

nash was enjoying the freedom and i think everytime we touched him he thought maybe it would mean another long trip in the car or plane-we've been doing a little too much of that lately and he's turned into sort of a demon child. but let's stick to the positive, shall we? there was a really cute little maze of shrubbery that didn't even stump him (and i think this is a dang cute little picture):
and his first attempt at the slide with the help of aunti adi:


once we wore the kids out and laid them down for naps we got some baby-free time. what else to do but see a movie?! we saw definitely, maybe. i liked it, but i'm not sure if it's because the movie was actually good or because i think ryan reynolds is perfection. anyway, it was nice to get away from the babies even if it was just for a few hours. when we got back sean and jill had arrived and the party really started! we went to dinner at Nora's with some of bri bri's friends. four pregnant wives, and four guys who know no social boundries. let's just say there was a lot of inappropriate discussion and we laughed our butts off.

we went to red rock canyon national park on sunday and did a little driving and hiking. it was great weather and so nice to be outside. it almost had me convinced that i could live there-but then i think of the sweltering summers and i'm not so sure!


thanks to bri bri, adi & emery for your hospitality, the good times, and the yummy food. viva las vegas!

2.14.2008


this little heartbreaker and his mama will be spending the day watching movies in bed. ah-choo!


2.13.2008

lizzy & lali make stuff

lali and i had lofty plans for my trip to seattle, mainly including projects galore. we both find it amazing how much people get away with charging for baby products that we figure we can make ourselves (and better) in five minutes. well, the blasted cold caught up with us on saturday morning before our trip into the city and by evening i was feeling pretty beat, but by-golly if i wasn't going to master the sewing machine and make a few things! we spent sunday in "create" mode and i think we ended up with some pretty cute stuff and more ideas up our sleeves. we ended up sticking with the easy stuff (embellishing burp cloths & onesies) since my head was spinning with that oh-s0-fun cold/flu headache (lali's are here). and i guess i should mention that the onesies below were done by hand-no machine involved. i used the machine on my tu-tu onesie (which i'm having a hard time photographing) and the burp cloths (which i haven't photographed):







2.12.2008

2.10.2008

fourteen days of love-#10

"pretty plants"

i love to care for plants. it must be genetic-my grandma is an avid orchid collector-i think she has somewhere around 180 orchids? there's just something satisfying about being able to keep a plant alive-especially a plant that returns the favor with showy blooms.

i've gotten out of the groove-too many moves early on in our marriage between tiny apartments with little light slowly killed off my large plant collection. i'm down to zero plants (unless you count my fake aloe plant) and i'm thinking that now is a good time to get collecting again. we finally have a house with windows galore (too many maybe) and i have the time to invest in plant care.

2.09.2008

fourteen days of love-#9

"indian food"

i LOVE indian food. i think i could eat it every day of my life (except that i'd rather not sweat curry). the best part is that their vegetarian dishes are easily as good as the carnivorous types. mmm...a little vegetable tikka masala, naan, and a mango lassi in my belly and i'm one happy camper. i wonder if bombay house delivers at 9:30 am...?

2.08.2008

fourteen days of love-#8


this is totally lame, but remember i'm trying not to spend too much time blogging? i love costco and i love this new product they carry from sunkist: cara cara oranges. a hint of grapefruity flavor (but not the bitter part), seedless and deep red in color...i can't stop eating them! citrus is that one thing i crave when i'm prego and the good thing is they're good for me! maybe now is a good time for a pregnancy update too-i had my 24-week appointment on wednesday and everything is looking good. we officially scheduled the c-section for may 21st, the baby didn't suffer from my late night spill on the ice saturday night, and i've gained a whopping seven pounds.

2.07.2008

fourteen days of love-#7

"flight of the conchords"

i'm spending a week up in seatle with ance, lali & baby graham. last night we watched about five episodes of this show (i'd only seen one episode before when we had free HBO for a bit). it's dang funny. for lack of anything better to post on and because i want to spend my time with the rasbands and not blogging, i'll just share a little clip (or two):



2.06.2008

fourteen days of love-#6

"my dad"



everyone loves their dad. i'm not going to try and convince you that my dad is better than your dad because i know you'll fight back, but i think my dad is the greatest. since this is day six of the fourteen days of love, i'll post six things i love about my dad:

1. he laughs so hard at himself that he cries and his face turns purple. when we don't laugh at him he convinced himself that it's because we are trying not to laugh and encourage him, which makes him laugh harder. and then we laugh.

2. i have a folder in my email inbox titled "dad's epistles." it's all the emails he's sent me over the years filled with advice and counsel and memories. someday i'll make a book for my kids with them. most of them are pretty long...although he doesn't email that frequently, i know he spends a lot of time when he does.

3. he's a good man. nearly everything he does is for someone else (and very often for his kids).

4.he's the hardest worker i know and barely sleeps juggling his calling in the stake presidency, his practice, and his computer programming and other studies.

5. he loves nash and was a fantastic babysitter while we were home. he watches nash's videos and tells my mom about them over and over as if she hasn't also seen them. (he tells the same stories over and over too...)

6. he loves my mom and tells us that all the time. he worked so that she could stay home and raise us.

2.05.2008

fourteen days of love-#5

"ellen & her show"



i have my dvr set to auto-tune, so at three o'clock (pm!) nash and i start bustin' a move-cause it's ellen!!! nash usually stays up till after the dancing segment, then goes down for a nap, so you can imagine that before the ellen show comes on he's getting a little grumpy. but when he hears that music he's instantly happy and dances to the music with a big smile. i've been trying to capture this on camera but no luck yet (just you wait!).

back in college (that's a funny thing to say), and back when i went to the gym regularly (that's not so funny to say), laura and diane and i would go at ten (am/the old ellen time) and we'd run on treadmills while watching. it's one of my fondest memories of those times-everytime ellen would make a funny (which is like every other second cause she's so freakin' funny) we'd all look up and down the row of treadmills grinning as if to say "did you hear that?" and "oh, my heck she's so funny!". i guess you had to be there.

anyway, i love the great memories that a simple thing like watching the ellen show brings into my life. that on top of the fact that i love her and her show. in fact, i'd set my alarm for three am!

2.04.2008

fourteen days of love-#4

"a good cheeseburger vs. a good one-piece"


like gina, i used to love a good cheeseburger and fries now and then. in fact, she and her hubby introduced us to a great little burger joint up by the U that i will sadly miss (gina-do they have gardenburgers?). BUT i love these swimsuits much more than a greasy burger, so i'm trying to convince myself not to drive over for a breakfast burger RIGHT NOW! these suits are my motivation to get a semi-decent if not totally decent beach bod back before the summer is over (remember, i'm having a baby this spring?). why are there so many great one-pieces out this year? i'm dying from want...i'm not even tempted to buy a bikini that i can't wear at the anderson family pool {most likely the ONLY place i will dare to bare this summer}!

2.03.2008

fourteen days of love-#3


who's hottest?
i love cinnamon gummy candies-namely cinnamon bears. at this time of the year, cinnamon gummy hearts are everywhere. i picked some up the other day at the local wal-mart and was sorely disappointed. not only were they not spicy, but they didn't even taste like cinnamon. they tasted like roses. of course, i keep eating them, but in honor of valentine's day and it's "hotness," i am having a little contest. now is your chance to nominate your favorite candy company's cinnamon gummy treat (and chocolate covered ones are a-ok!). i will be conducting a taste test along with a few colleagues. if your candy is the winner, you'll be in for a real treat!!!

*to enter: leave a comment with the brand name and item name. please include the name of the retailer carrying the product if known. deadline for nominations: february 10th. winner will be announced february 14th.

2.02.2008

fourteen days of love-#2

"the president of my youth"


on the day of his funeral services, i have to pay my respects to the most wonderful man i've ever not known but felt as though i did. he was there during my most vulnerable years. i think i'll always remember the evening of his passing. on our drive home from orem to salt lake, we passed several temples brightly lit on a dark cloudy night. i thought of the legacy he would leave for the world. i also thought of the glorious reunion that must have been happening in heaven at that very moment; his reunion with his wife and what i imagine was an enormous choir of angels. he will be missed...

p.s. and being groundhog's day i have to mention my love for the movie with the same name. and bill murray in general.

2.01.2008

fourteen days of love-#1

in honor of valentine's day, i'm going to copy gina bina's idea {cause it's a good one} and post for the next fourteen days, each day about something i love.

"little buddies"

today i can't not post about my lexi doggy. i have loved her since the day we got her, but lately i've been really appreciating her amazingly good nature.

nash and lexi have always been pretty good friends. after nash was born lexi suffered a bit-her usual nightly cuddle time with me on the couch was replaced with me cursing as i tried to nurse nash on the couch. she handled it well and although she was obviously saddened by her sort of replacement as my baby, she never once acted out. as nash has become more and more aware of her they've become better and better friends. it used to be that lexi had to be banned while nash ate because she'd beg too much. then it turned into more of a problem with nash-i thought for about a week that he loved cheese. one day i left the room and popped my head in later only to find that he had been feeding lexi all the cheese with a smile on his face. so lexi was then banned while nash ate so that nash couldn't feed her all his food.

this past week it's like the two of them are in cahoots. they have been attached at the shoulders. they go in nash's room and shut the door and i hear giggles from the outside. and it's like they sat down and said, "alright, i'll eat my food and you eat your food and that's how it's gonna be." this week i have witnessed four heart-melting nash/lexi moments: usually if nash holds out a cracker lexi will snatch it right up. after this little arrangment went into force, nash holds out a cracker and lexi looks away (but you can tell she really really wants it). yesterday i gave nash a little bowl of goldfish. he didn't finish it all and we forgot and left it on the floor while the two of us ran out for a bit. when we got home IT WAS STILL THERE! are you kidding me?! this is something i couldn't expect from any dog. nash has also picked up this cute {and slightly creepy if you don't know what's going on} method of asking for a kiss on the forehead. he puts his head down as he walks toward you and looks at you from under his furrowed brow while making a little cooing noise. this week he's been asking lexi for kisses, and although she hasn't quite figured it out it's so cute to see him show affection toward his doggy. and {drum roll please} the crowning moment of the week {he did this completely on his own}:



it's so nice to have complete trust in my doggy with my baby {soon to be babies}. it's also nice for nash to have a little buddy. a constant companion.