Janzyn pics

I just couldn't resist taking Janzyn out to enjoy the crisp leaves and snap a few photos. He's growing up way too fast for this mama!

Happy Birthday Maleia!

Yesterday was Miss Maleia's 7th birthday!! It's so hard for me to believe my little angel is 7 years old! Where did time go? It seems just like yesterday that Jay, Brinlei and I were on the plane heading over to adopt Maleia. The excitement and anticipation were almost unbearable. I'll never forget walking off the plane into the warm, gentle breeze of the islands. It was a day I had only dreamed about and the reality was even better! The first moment she was placed in my arms, I wet my cheeks and hers with tears of joy. She wasn't even 3 months old yet, but she was the most robust, healthy baby I had ever seen. (That's a polite way of saying she was a large Marge!) I was mesmerized by her long eye lashes and her chubby legs. She was just perfect! That trip, however, was not and after waiting for the courts for two weeks I ended up leaving my precious butterball on the island with her birthmom while I returned home to try and wait out the horrible mess caused by a corrupt court system. Eventually I was able to return two and a half months later to finalize her adoption and bring her home.




To celebrate her special day, I snuck her out of school for a quick ice cream. It was so fun to steal her away in the middle of the day. Then, later that evening we invited her birthfamily over and we dined on Pumpkin pepperoni pizza. She was showered with candy, money and presents. She is one loved little girl! Maleia, you are my sunshine. Your laughter and smile brighten my life in ways I could never have imagined almost seven years ago. I love you!

Just call me....

Sponge Bob Square Boobs! The dreaded annual mammo is over and done with, thank goodness! I always get myself so worked up over stuff like that and it usually ends up being not as bad as I imagined. Well, not this time! It was a new machine and a new lab tech. The combination was deadly! I still can't catch my breath! With a family history of breast cancer, I know it's a necessary evil but gosh darn it! I wonder what it's like for those girls who have chosen to medically enhance themselves? I think I'd be afraid of popping. Anyway, I did my duty and now I can relax for another year.

Have you had your yearly fun? If not, don't take the risk. My sweet sister had the unfortunate experience of dealing with a very aggressive form of breast cancer seven years ago. She had a recurrence two years after the initial diagnosis and treatment, and thankfully is doing great right now. She endures doc appointment after appointment and will for the rest of her life. She's been told it will likely return again but has such a positive attitude and lives life to it's fullest. Her experience has definitely made me more conscience of my health and the little daily blessings that come my way. She's an inspiration to me and I love her to pieces. She needs to stick around for many, many more years! There is nothing sweeter than sisters and I have two of the best sisters around. Both of them make me want to be a better person and I treasure the friendships we have. Although I'm the youngest, our bond is strong and I can't imagine not having either one of them in my life. I know they're just a phone call away. Thanks, my sistas! I love you!!!

The perfect picture spot!

I've been wanting to take a few pictures at the old train station in town and I decided on a whim to take Jake and Maleia one afternoon. I'm not a great photographer, although in my dreams I obsess with learning the trade, but I thought these turned out fun!

Hmmm...maybe Christmas pictures will have to be done there too!

Lazy Saturday

Jay was tending the baby and watching a football game on Saturday while I ran a few errands. This is what I came home to! Not too much football watchin' goin' on! Of course, Lexi joined in the fun too. I love my man!!!

I took Janzyn to the doc this morning for his 4 month check and he's a whopping 14 pounds 11 oz. That puts him in the 50 percentile in weight but he's still only measuring between the 10th and 25th percentile in height. Face it, he's going to be a squatty body like the rest of us Andersons! He's making all the normal milestones for a 4 month old, rolling over, smiling, babbling, grasping but his body strength and control are remarkable. At least that's what the doc says! He's pretty muscular for a little guy, which is good. He'll have to learn to hold his own with Jake as a big brother. It's still so much fun to have a baby around and I try to savor each moment because I know it won't last long. That's what I tell myself anyway!

The days fly by and I find myself only being able to sneak a minute or two on the computer to check emails. I miss my virtual lurking! But, that being said, life continues to speed by and I do my best to keep up.

Football season for Jordan has come to an end. He played his heart out and that last game was a heartbreaker. The team lost by one touchdown despite the efforts of the Stingin' Bees and Jordan finished the season leading the team in tackles. He's an aggressive little bugger! It was a sad day for him to finish his high school football career on a sad note, but he's now gearing up for wrestling and I'm excited for that to begin.

Miss Maleia has a birthday this week, Janzyn has his four month checkup, I have the dreaded mammo scheduled and of course it's Halloween. This week promises to be just as hectic and crazy as all the others! I'm also trying to redo my shop so I can reopen and start doing hair again. It was either that or find an evening job and I'd much rather be my own boss than work for someone else. Too many years of doing what I want on my own time schedule, I guess! The biggest challenge will be remodelling and painting the disaster that's become the shop. I've neglected it for the past few years and it definitely shows. It'll be fun to get back into the hairy business again, though.

I have a grundle of pictures to put on here, but the baby is loudly demanding my attention so it'll have to wait till later. Ta ta for now!

Good Morning!

This is what I wake up to every morning! Now, isn't that the sweetest? Definitely starts my day out with a smile. Janzyn has been such a light in our family. He is now 4 months old and has already given us so much joy. A baby will do that, you know. He's a happy little guy with the squishiest smile. It's hard for me to believe our family ever existed without him.

You know, I get all kinds of comments when people find out that not only do I have an almost 24 year old and an infant, but that I have 8 children. Some not so nice, others almost offensive, and a few complimentary. The one comment that makes me nuts, though, is "You must be an angel!" Excuse me? No, I'm not an angel, I'm a very lucky woman who has been blessed beyond measure. Don't put me on a pedestal just simply because I have 8 children. You can put me up there if you think I'm a beautiful goddess(tee hee), but don't do it because you think I've done something miraculous by having a large family. I'm not the perfect mom, and I don't have the perfect family. We have our struggles and challenges just like everyone else. I'll admit, there are times when I can't handle the stress and noise level, so I hide. That's right, I hide. Sometimes in my bedroom, sometimes in the car, others in places I'll never divulge because then they'll find me! But then I get over myself and come out to the chaos that is my family. And when I wake up in the morning to the sweetest little face looking back at me, I'm reminded all over again why I love my life!

Remnants of a snowman

The year's first snowman! Yup, I said snowman. We got about 2 inches of snow over the weekend and the littles couldn't resist making their first snowman. By the time I saw them, the snow had already begun to melt and the poor little guys were quickly slipping into puddledom. It was cute anyway.




I don't think my petunias are appreciating the snow, however!

Now, that's disturbing!

Brinlei asked me if I wanted to see the coolest new thing. Look closely!



That's right, it's candy boogers! You simply strap on this nose contraption and lick away. Now, that's disturbing!

Janzyn's new babysitter, I mean toy!

Only problem is his legs down quite reach the floor!

October birthday boy!

Jordan, Jordan, Jordan! What else can I say?! From the moment you began crawling and I found you on top of the wood burning stove I knew you were going to give me a run for my money. You were oh so curious, stubborn, silly, adventurous, daring, heart stopping. You still are! No one can make me laugh like you do, terrify me like you do, or touch my heart the way you do. And now that you're 18 and on the verge of adulthood, I can't help but look back at all those years and wonder if I taught you enough, or gave you enough love. Will you be able to reach deep inside and see the incredible person you really are? I hope so. We nicknamed you the Taz because you were a whirlwind no matter where you went. You tackle life with gusto and determination. You're like a bulldog, refusing to let go when your mind is set. I hope those qualities will take you down the path that is meant for you and help you achieve all you want out of life! We love you, Jordie!

A typical day

The alarm goes off at 6:30 but that's not when I get up! Thank goodness for the snooze button! Depending on the day, or lack of sleep the previous night, I sleep in as long as possible. After the third, Mom I'm hungry- call, I finally drag my weary bones out of bed, take a minute to let the blood start flowing to the outer extremeties and make a quick jaunt to the loo. My day has officially begun! Then comes the mad dash to find shoes, comb hair (Is it a pony tail or piggy tail day? No? A half pony tail it is then.)
Did you brush your teeth? Run back in and do it lickity split!
A quick good bye-I love you-have a good day to the older ones and we dash out to the car to take Maleia to school, only to discover the battery is dead and thus the car is too.
Now what? Grandma! We run across the street, borrow Grandma's car and squeek into school in the nick of time.
Then comes the baby bottle, poopy diaper routine.
Pour bowls of cereal for the others at home while making my delicious diet pancakes. Not too bad, if I do say so myself!
Throw dishes in the sink, sort laundry, wipe noses, clean up baby barf, chase kids out of the truck, check my email, get drinks of water, put a fussy baby down for his morning nap, read a few blogs, search for the 3 muskateers and find them blowing balloons.
Can you tie this for me? Sure, just take it back downstairs. Don't want the dang thing popping in my ears.
Tie mine up too!
Don't blow it up too much or it will....POP! Right in my ear! Ok, enough balloons, go find something else to do.
Check the baby.
Can I have hot chloclat? How about cold chocolate? No, I want hot chloclat! Ok, ok...just hang on.
Three cups later, wiping up spills, wiping noses, cleaning up spilled milk on the floor.
The next one to spill their hot chocolate gets it taken away!
Uh oh, she spilled it, no I didn't you did, no I didn't.
OKAY!!!! Enough hot chocolate, how about if you go jump on the tramp?
The dog threw up!
HELP!!!
It's only 10:00!!