So much to post about, so little time

And I am not sure where to begin...but I can start with, "Nope, still no baby."

So this is how I will pass some time as I wait "patiently".

This past week my friend Angela invited the girls and I to go to Thanksgiving Point's Farm Country with her and her three boys. Normally this kind of thing sounds like too much "work" for me being in my 9th month of pregnancy. But I am up for anything that gets me walking around these days. And let's face it, the girls deserved to get out and have some fun too!

We had not been to Farm Country before so it was something fun and new and exciting to the girls. Spring is a great time to go because 1- it isn't too hot yet and 2- there are baby animals!!
I would say the only down-side may have been that there were several school groups on field trips there...but still, it wasn't too bad.

Riley is a struggle for me to take almost anywhere because she is independent and doesn't like to listen to me... I have to repeat myself over and over and over like a broken record, I get frustrated, and then I start to get mean!! She wanted to run free and do/see whatever she pleased without staying with our group. She has no fear and doesn't understand crowded places and strangers and getting lost. It's a little scary to me.

Izzy on the other hand stays with me really well and listens pretty well too in crowded places. She just understands the safety of staying close to me and keeping me in her sight. Complete opposites!! Izzy's only complaint the whole time was telling me how "stinky" it was...repeatedly. Can't say I blame her because as you can imagine, any place called "Farm Country" does smell a bit.

Here are a few photos I snapped

With each admission, every child gets a pony ride. Izzy, being my cautious one was a little nervous and I had to walk beside her pony the whole time because she would have fallen off if I weren't by her side.

Riley on her pony
Here you can see Izzy isn't too happy with the smell.
Owen and Riley having a snack, waiting for the wagon ride. I think it's funny how there is a whole, open bench and they are sitting so close together.


Owen, Riley, and Izzy on a cow bench. Poor Luke was not feeling well that day and therefore didn't want to be in any pictures.

Thanks for inviting us, Angela! We had fun!!

No pictures and not a whole lot to report...

...but I still felt like posting. This is definitely not a post people should even bother reading as it's more for me to remember....that not ALL nights are sleepless lately (at least not last night).

Last night I didn't get up to pee. I think it was a miracle...or a tender mercy. Or both.

See, I have NO CLUE the last time I slept through a night. I can't even say for sure I slept all night...I may have awaken once or twice, but I was able to get back to sleep immediately. (No getting up to empty my bladder!) I never heard one of the girls talk in their sleep or Travis snore. I woke up to my alarm feeling rested (the feeling didn't last long, but it was refreshing first thing this morning).

Anyway, a miracle because I get up AT LEAST twice a night to empty my bladder pretty much my whole pregnancy. And that's on good nights. There haven't been many good nights lately. A lot of times it's three or even for times that I have to roll out of bed and waddle to the bathroom. And often times I have trouble falling back asleep afterwards. Two nights ago I actually laid awake for an hour or so before I grabbed a blanket and headed downstairs to do some reading snuggled up on the couch. That eventually put me back to sleep....sitting up on the couch. I assumed I would have a sleepless night again and be up watching the royal wedding...but I slept right on through it. WHICH IS FINE WITH ME! I wasn't planning on watching, I just assumed it would be something to do when I couldn't sleep.

Anyway, YAY for not getting up to go in the middle of the night. I enjoyed it and I know there likely won't be another night like that for at least a few months.

Can't wait for there to be something CUTE to get up for instead of going potty. We (Travis and I) are so ready to meet this little girl. The girls THINK they are, but we will see how they feel once she is here and everything. I am still really nervous for the transition. And three kids still sounds really scary. But it's going to happen soon, so I am as ready as I will ever be. Hoping I don't make it to May 26th. Send some labor thoughts our way?

The past couple months

Guess it is about time for an update! I have been meaning to update for months! This winter seemed really long to me. Maybe it's because our normally healthy girls caught every cough/cold/ear infection/etc possible. Before I complain, I should say I am grateful we have had such healthy kids to this point. Neither had ever had an ear infection. Well for some reason, fall hit and Riley got a sinus infection. She has since had one or two others. And I am not even kidding when I say the girls got coughs in December that lasted straight through sometime in January. Then I had them to the doctor AGAIN at the beginning of February...more coughs and colds. And coughs are the worst because they just LINGER FOREVER. And they are worse at night...which keeps ME awake, worrying about my poor kids! I thought it was the last straw when Riley got her first ear infection at the beginning of March and Izzy had yet another cough/cold. I mean, I know it's pretty good that Riley had never had an ear infection in 4 1/2 years. And Izzy hasn't ever had one and she is almost 3 1/2. BUT STILL! I kept them home from preschool a whole week thinking we would get rid of everything once and for all. WRONG.
It's like the first of April hit and Riley has her second ear infection in 5 weeks, both got some type of eye infection, and yet again--COUGHS. Coughs that have kept me up for hours on end night after night and just in case you forgot, I already can't sleep because I'm only 7 weeks away from having a baby! Every time the girls get sick I think, OK, this has got to be it, we need to get rid of this and have time to air out the germs before baby joins us. I am starting to really stress. I almost want to pull them out of preschool for the rest of April and May in hopes of not bringing anything else home. But then I remember preschool is the little shred of sanity I have these days. I don't know what to do, but luckily for the sickies, this week is spring break...so hoping that staying home will finally get everyone better and be the last of it. But if things seem iffy at all when they return to preschool NEXT week...I don't think I will have much of a choice but to pull them out for the rest of this school year. I cannot have sick kids with a tiny newborn! I am a paranoid germaphobe.
Here are a couple recent pics of the girls. They are getting so big and they are so ready (or so they think!) to meet their baby sister.





Hard to believe we cut 6 inches off of Riley's hair at the end of September. It sure has started growing back. Izzy still has NEVER had a haircut because I know all her natural curl at the ends will never come back once we do cut it. She has no desire to get it cut anyway...so it's long hair for now in this house! I'm hoping baby comes with a head full of dark hair like Riley did at birth. However, Travis and I were both REALLY blond babies and kids, we aren't sure how the girls started out darker than us!
The preschool class had a field trip to THE QUARRY in Provo at the end of March. It is a place to climb rock walls.

Riley didn't go much higher than this, but I guess it was a good start and a fun thing to try!

And Izzy seemed all gung-ho...
but once we got her all strapped in the harness, she wanted OUT. :(
Here are the two sickies this week. Laying low. At least they are pretty much best friends. Except what little sister doesn't know how to push her big sister's buttons? Izzy can really get Riley going when Riley wants a little alone time!

And as far as really good news despite all the sickies, I have been a neglectful mom...as in, I have never taken the girls to see a dentist, officially. (No, that isn't the good news, stay with me!) I finally made an appointment and thought it would be the biggest nightmare and they would have a ton of cavities...but nope! Instead, Izzy (who I thought would be a pill) was a total angel and neither girl had a single cavity. CAN I GET A HALLELUJAH?! Riley does have one spot on one of her back lower teeth but it isn't enough to call it a cavity at this point. If it becomes a hole, it will of course need filled...but for now, we are in the clear! *Sigh of relief*

Travis has been busy at work (though really, what's new?!). He just hired two new guys who are currently being trained. I am just hoping and praying they are sufficiently trained in a few weeks so that he will be able to enjoy some paternity leave. (Thank you Adobe for being awesome and giving a guy two weeks paid!) Aside from being busy at work, he fills the rest of his time with his church calling, playing with his adoring girls, and is getting ready to put our yard in over the next several Saturdays. He is getting really excited for baby too. It's cute :) Last night he told me he thinks I better get my hospital bag ready. I was happy to hear it, I had started to think about it but didn't want to seem too eager.

Now for an update on me aka...the baby I guess. The growing of a baby is pretty much consuming me right now. It's hard to think about much else when I am constantly in the bathroom, hungry, achy, exhausted, you get the idea! We painted her room. And so I have been unsure if I wanted to unveil it because her name is on the wall...but I figure why not?
The above picture has really poor lighting, but the two pictures on either side of the window are just cute flowers that match the colors we used.

And now for the dreaded belly shot. I apologize for the weird facial expression...I don't like to have my picture taken anyway but add to it that it's a pic of me alone and it's like, what am I supposed to do? I apparently can't just smile naturally. Still, I feel strongly about having a little photographic proof as a pregnancy memento. 6 1/2 weeks left! And I am starting to swell :(

My doctor put me on his schedule to induce labor May 26th if I don't go into labor before then on my own.

That's all for now! Stay tuned, I suppose. The next time I post maybe there will be a baby...here's hoping I can be more on top of blogging when she comes! I do have that goal. But I am nervous for the transition and adjustment to THREE kids.

Bun in the Oven

So by now, I am sure everyone who reads this blog (you know, all 5 of you...) knows we are expecting our 3rd baby in May. I didn't wait to post this long on purpose, I meant to post about it a couple months ago after announcing it but as anyone can tell, I have been a major posting slacker (again!)

In my attempt to catch up on our lives here is a post about Anderson baby #3 and how it all came about.

By fall of 2009 Travis was pretty much baby hungry. Not overly, but I knew he had a stronger desire for a baby that I did. That was the FARTHEST thing from my mind. I had zero desire and so I told him maybe in the summer of 2010 we could start to try.

Well next thing I know, it's spring and summer is around the corner and I was like no, not this year. I was still not ready and felt we should put off trying until summer 2011. And I was happy with that. Summer came and almost went...and I felt really good about my decision to wait another year. And then BAM! The end of August something changed. No, I didn't feel some intense need to have another baby...but I told Trav we could try this one cycle and if it didn't happen, we would wait until summer 2011. Fast forward a few weeks and the next thing I know...

BAM. That's a positive test. Just to be sure I took a different brand test on the same day and sure enough:

It was apparently "meant to be."

I wasn't surprised, but I didn't know it would happen in one try!
SO...First weekend in October the morning sickness hits with a vengeance. And it was THE WORST EVER. I was SO sick. Sicker than the first two times and it was no fun. I know I shouldn't complain. I do take it to be a good sign, being sick. We had our first ultrasound November 10th and sure enough, there was a baby in there. (Not that I doubted it, seeing just makes it more real!)

October through most of December were pretty miserable months. I'm sure it played a part in my lack of posting and also the complete lack of housework around here. Thankfully I have been feeling much better. No more puking! Still exhausted and achy and uncomfortable, but also manageable (Whew!) Seriously, this month has felt like a tender mercy! Except for the hormonal basket case that is Jenna lately. My hormones are SO out-of-whack and uncontrollable when I am pregnant! Poor Travis!

Anyway, Travis felt like it was another girl. I was "sure" it would be a boy. Turns out it IS another GIRL. So much for motherly instinct. lol.

We couldn't be more thrilled though. Here are some pictures from the 20-week ultrasound. She is on track and all looks well. That is the biggest, most important thing to us!

Cute profile (18 weeks)
Profile at 20 weeks. Her face was right up against the placenta.
There's nothing to see between those legs!

These two are 3-D ultrasounds. And because her face was half resting on the placenta, it was hard to get good pics, but you get the idea, no? Above: her face sort of peeking through...
I know this is scary. She is just a thin little skeleton. But you can totally see her skull! This second half of the pregnancy is when she will fill out and put on some fat. :)

She has been really squirmy which is sort of fun but not always. It is so reassuring to feel all her kicks, punches, and turns though! The movements are becoming stronger and more controlled and the girls are able to feel her now, I think. It's hard to tell, but they are very willing to sit and TRY to feel her kicks. The other night she even kicked enough for me to see my stomach move. That's when it gets really cool, because I think the girls will LOVE to watch my belly move.

And although I HATE pics of myself, (I have very few photos of me from the first two pregnancies) I know I need to try to get a few from this one too...just for memories sake. Here I am, 23 weeks! Definitely past halfway! And since both girls were early...I am hoping this one will be a couple weeks ahead of schedule too!

As for names, we have a few ideas. As in, I know what I like, Trav knows what he likes...but as a couple, we don't really agree. People keep asking but I promise we haven't even discussed it lately. Suggestions are welcome! I know there must be a name out there we both love!

Christmas

Better late than never, I suppose!

I actually took ZERO photos of Christmas. Maybe that's why I have been putting off blogging lately, my crazy photo taking days seem to have passed. I used to take pics of anything and everything we did...not so much lately.

Oh well, even without the pics to prove it, our Christmas this year was fabulous. We stay home and spent the day with our little family plus Maria.

The girls got SPOILED. I swear every year we won't go all out. And then I'm eating my words. It's just so easy to do. It helps that they had piles of gifts that weren't just from us, but also from their grandmas and grandpas.

Their big gift is a new bunk bed which has been awesome to have! The girls love it and they also love sharing a room (for the most part). They each got new movies, lots of new clothes, and some fun toys!
Travis spoiled me as usual too. I seriously hopes he quits it one of these days! My big gift is an amazing new blender that is AWESOME. and he has benefited from having it quite nicely. (He had his wisdom teeth removed two days after Christmas...milkshakes and smoothies were a must!)
I also got $70 worth of iTunes gift cards! Some from Travis, one from Maria, and one from my awesome girl friend Angela! (I had a wish list of songs I wanted...and you would think that amount would cover it, but even after getting new music, there is still more I want! ha ha)
Barb got me some new clothes. I love them all!

Travis got new clothes, a soccer bag, a board game and some other miscellaneous things too.

It was really fun being home and doing our own thing. (We did the same thing two years ago, but this was the first time in our house.) We miss all our family we don't get to see very often but there is also a time when it's good to start your own traditions! We hope maybe next year we might get some family to join us for the holiday. Anyone is more than welcome! And if you join us, there is always sure to be lots of goodies...I go way overboard on the Christmas cookies and candy!

Little Miss Izzy turned THREE in December

Yep. I am not sure where the time has gone...

One day you are giving birth to this:

(Picture taken December 11, 2007 the morning after Isabelle Jane was born)

and the next thing you know, it's three years later... Her birthday was very low key. We didn't have a party or anything, we just had her open some gifts at home, ate some dinner at Texas Roadhouse, and then had cake with Aunt Maria.

Izzy also got a present from her friends Owen and Luke, too! (An adorable fairy book with stickers to dress up the fairies and decorate the scenes around them...it was a HIT!)

She opened presents first thing in the morning. She got a new winter coat that is a bright pink color, some Dr. Seuss books, money from Grandma Debbie (for new clothes), a princess puppet from Grandma Barb and Grandpa John, and a singing princess Rapunzel doll from Aunt Maria.

That week in preschool she also got to be the "Star of the Week" meaning we provided snacks that week and I went into the preschool class to show pictures of Izzy and talk about her. She also got to be the line leader all week. She thought being star of the week was pretty cool!

Some things about Izzy at three years old:

She weighs 33 pounds, her favorite movie is "Despicable Me", her favorite foods are "chickens" (nuggets), as well as candy and snacks. She has such a sweet tooth! She still acts like the baby and anyone would tell you she totally gets away with it where I am concerned. I can't help it! She IS still the baby! She loves, Loves, LOVES her big sister and wants to play with her or terrorize her constantly. She totally knows how to get under Riley's skin. It's so funny. Poor Riley! She finally became fully potty trained not long before her birthday...it was a loonnnggggg time in the making. But she does really, really well and hasn't had any accidents in several weeks and the accidents she has had have been very few. She is becoming more and more independent but still is a HUGE cuddle-bug. Anyone and everyone who knows her comments on it. She is a lot like her dad...the faces she makes, her expressions, the things she says...it's all so Travis. She is solid and I bet she will be a good little athlete someday. Hopefully she likes soccer :) Guess time will tell!

She is a ball of spunk (and sugar and spice and everything nice....you know...) She has brought us so much joy and I'm sure she will continue to do so!

Adobe Holiday Party

Adobe didn't disappoint with this year's holiday party. Not that they ever disappoint! There were tons of fun games, lots of yummy food, and NEON TREES performed. Pretty awesome!



I was so grateful it was a casual event! Omniture had really formal holiday parties and I am not much of a formal wear kind of girl!

*I tried to post a video of Neon Trees singing "Animal" but I guess the file was too large because it wouldn't work...maybe one of these days I will edit it to a more manageable size. yeah right.