Nick's Party

Nick's birthday is this week, but yesterday we celebrated with family and friends. Nick planned his own party! He wanted a Clone Wars party, a bounce house, a white Star Wars cake, pizza, and he even made his own guest list. I can't believe how old he is!! Where has the time gone?

Thanks to everyone who helped make his day special!!

Our Thanksgiving

After Chris did the usual Turkey Bowl thing, we got ready for the day and headed to the movies to see Bolt. It was a cute show and the kids were really good, even Cooper.

Then we were off to my mom's to hang out until dinner time. We snacked all afternoon and had a good time just being together.

The girls. Just hanging out in the kitchen.

After dinner my dad did "rocking horse" with the kids. This is something he used to do all the time with us when we were little.

And Thanksgiving would not be complete without a surprise from Grandma to help get the Christmas season started!!
New Christmas jammies!!!

The original six! I am so thankful to have such an awesome family! They mean so much to me. I really don't know what I would do without them!

No matter where we live, no matter what our circumstance may be, we all have something to be thankful for.

I am thankful for my children, my husband, my family, and my good friends.

I am so thankful for the gospel in my life, for my Savior,for my calling to work with the YW, and for the scriptures.

I know I am blessed, my list could go on forever...but I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

by: Nick

Twilight

Last night we (Chris, my mom, my sisters, Jenny & Katie, my sisters-in-law, Juli & Amber, and my sister's friends, and ME) got to go to the Twilight party and premiere. We only got to see it a couple of hours before everybody else, but it was a fun experience. I am a fan, but there are some really crazy people out there! Chris wanted to go with me, so he could finally know what we are all talking about without having to read the book. He actually liked it more than I did! I was a little disappointed that it wasn't more like the book. That is okay though, I knew it would never be as good as the book!!

The Invisible Mother

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?'Obviously, not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? & Can you open this?Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'
One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.'It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe . I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'
At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on.The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.When I really think about it, I don't want my daughter to tell the friend she's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want her to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to her friend, to add, 'you're gonna love it there.'As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot see if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Funny kids

We have a DVD player in the car and pretty much only have 1 movie in it. So for the last month or more my kids have been watching Finding Nemo. Cooper, who has recently started talking, loves it! He points at all the shishies(fish) and dances through the whole thing. My favorite part is when Nemo is going through initiation to be part of the "Tankhood". Cooper dances and chants wha-he-hah-he-ah-whoo-whoo. It is the cutest ever! And like Dory he can also speak whale. Just for these reasons I don't think we will be changing the movie in the car anytime soon!

Chloe and her brothers are always playing house. Mostly Chloe and Alex, she is "Chrissy" and Alex is "Chris". Chloe is very much the little mama. They go to church, Alex watches the kids while Chloe goes to Weight Watchers, the talk on the phone and they call eachother "Babe". It is pretty funny! But ever since last week they don't play "Babies" anymore... they play "Mavrik". Chloe dressed her baby in boy clothes, she is "Amber" and Alex is "Jordan". I love watching them play! They can always make me smile!

Meeting Mavrik

Let the baby hunger begin! I guess you could say I am in unknown territory right now. I have always been pregnant by the time my baby was 9 months old, so I have never really felt baby hungry before. But holding this tiny little baby tonight just felt so right, like it is time for another one. Now we just need to convince Chris of this!

Ever since Amber told the kids she was pregnant Alex has been saying that she has a dog in her tummy. Anytime you asked him what she was having, he would say, "a boy gog". This morning Alex got to upto the hospital with my mom to visit and when I saw him this afternoon he said, "not a gog, a boy baby". He is a funny boy!

Nick also got to go up to the hospital this morning with my mom. This afternoon on the way back to the hospital he told me that he is lucky and spoiled because he gets to see Mavrik 2 times today. He was very concerned when the next time he will get to see the baby. And he couldn't stop talking about how tiny the baby's finger nails were.

Cooper has always been "my baby", so I figured he wouldn'y really care to see him, but boy was I wrong! He loved him!! He didn't want anybody else to hold him or even look at him for that matter. So maybe I really could have another one!

And of course, our little mama wanted to hold him forever! She woke up early this morning eager to go meet her new cousin. It is too bad she is only 4 because she would make a great babysitter!!

Five doesn't look like too many, right?! I keep countig the kids in this picture because it doesn't seem like that many.

The Anderson Family
(photo above by Nick)

Happy Day

My favorite kind of day! I love to wake up to rain and clouds! And when it happens to fall on a Sunday , I love it!

And then my day gets even better. I got to spend the day with friends and family waiting for a little miracle to arrive. My brother Jordan and his wife, Amber had their first baby today. I was so excited for them!

Congratualtions Jordan and Amber! I love you guys!

Halloween Night

The night was spent with family. Just being together and having a good time!!

A loving home is of great importance to me and I always try to make people feel welcome. Although I have a great capacity to love, I also have a great capacity to hurt, so at times I can be sensitive. I'm firm when I need to be, but people trust my judgement and appreciate the kind way I always handle things.