The Sandersons

Anya's Walk and Ethan's 4th Bday

2011-10-30T18:42:00.003-06:00

The Last 6 Months

2011-10-20T21:34:00.004-06:00

Happy Mother's Day Cyndie!

2011-05-08T15:49:00.008-06:00

Dear Cyndie,
I've been thinking for days about how to show and express my love and appreciation for you today. I didn't just want to send some cliche gift, so I finally came to the conclusion that I would just do my best to tell you. So here goes...

From the very first day I met you and every day since, you have greeted me with nothing but smiles, open arms, and genuine love. I don't think you realize the impact you have had on my life. You are as dear to me as my own mother and I think of you in the same light. I have such a deep admiration and appreciation for you. You have always been there for me and my family, whether it was with a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on, a friend to laugh with, or encouragement when i was down. You listen without passing judgement, even when I have made horrible mistakes and you always make me feel loved and accepted. You are one of the most generous and selfless people I have ever met and you inspire me to become moreso without even saying a word. Despite your own needs, and without hesitation, you will sacrifice whatever it takes and drop whatever you're doing to help. I feel like I can never repay you for all the times and ways you have lifted me up and made my life bright and happy. I adore you. I love you with all my heart and I hope that someday I will be half the mother you are. Thank you for being the woman that you are and for ALL the countless things you do for me and so many others. I am so lucky to have a mother like you.

Happy Mother's Day!

Love you always,

Aimee and family

Ready For Summer

2011-04-17T16:46:00.006-06:00

loving life. we finally have our daddy home with us! and it's already warm enough to jump in the pool here. ethan is adjusting well to his new glasses and anya is speaking new words almost daily now. ive been keeping busy sewing. can't wait for our visit from maga soon! lots of love to you all! p.s. dad, i gave ethan a haircut so he looks more respectable like. i could only get ian to agree to a trim.

The Zoo, Anya's Birthday Party and the Beach

2011-03-09T09:30:00.001-07:00

We had our our first trip to the phx zoo and it was pretty awesome. the kids got to pet sting rays, feed the giraffes, and sit face to face with the monkeys. we'll definitely be back soon. anya's rata2ouille bday brunch was really fun too. she loved her day in the spotlight and got lots of amazing gifts. but best of all was our weekend in california at the beach. we stayed at newport beach but traveled up the coast to see all the beaches up to santa monica. ethan didn't want to leave the water and anya didnt want to stop running up and down the shore. we will be back there again soon too. im thinking disneyland?? anyone else in?? lots of love and hugs and kisses from us here! miss you all!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-26T19:52:00.006-07:00

Cousins, Christmas Stuff, and Cookie Day

2010-12-19T21:32:00.008-07:00

Thanksgiving with the Fam

2010-12-01T21:56:00.005-07:00

2010-11-17T11:57:00.004-07:00

Peter Pan and Tinkerbell

2010-11-02T21:10:00.001-06:00

Aquarium, the New House, Pumpkins, and Ethan's Bday Party

2010-10-25T16:05:00.006-06:00

October Stuff

2010-10-17T20:58:00.004-06:00

here's what we've been up to: building lots of legos, planning ethan's mickey bday party, watching "how to train your dragon," working on potty training with ethan, anya's starting to talk and wave, starting to help my mom pack and move into her new house, and that's pretty much it. we love you guys!

End of Summer Fun

2010-09-12T21:36:00.004-06:00

madhouse

2010-08-30T12:06:00.002-06:00

it has been a crazy last month or so for our family. we've been so busy with trying to transition and adjust to our new living situation and ian's new work schedule. we're also looking for a new home to rent and have a couple prospects that i will be looking at over the next couple of days. it's been rough at times but we still try to make sure we have some fun. this week i took the kids to the water pad in tempe (which is just a bunch of water fountains for the kids to play in). but they had a great time. we've also been trying to enjoy our last few weeks with the pool. the kids are like little fish and LOVE the water. im working with ethan again on potty training and he's doing pretty well. my goal is to get him trained by his 3rd birthday so i can then get working on anya, so wish me lots of luck! cause i know i'll need it. ian is really liking his new job despite the fact that he's working 10-12 hr days 7 days a week. he really likes the guys he's working with and handles his reduced sleep levels very well with no complaints. the kids and i cant wait till labor day weekend because daddy will finally have a couple days off!! anyway that's about it for now. hopefully i will have more updates and pics very soon when we finally find a home of our own. oh and apologies to everyone for not answering my phone or returning calls lately. i have been so stressed and busy that if i ever get a free minute to myself i just want to sit and relax. once i find a home i will give all of u a nice long call to catch up. :) we all love and miss our family and friends very much! hope you're all doing well!

Some Summer Updates

2010-07-13T17:41:00.003-06:00

I know it's been a while but needless to say with the move and everything going on lately we've been very busy. But just to quickly update you all, we are all doing well and enjoying the warm AZ summer. The kids and I are enjoying being with family out here and have kept busy swimming in the pool almost every day. We are all so excited to see Ian this weekend when he drives our stuff out here. He will stay a couple days then fly back to final out then return to AZ for good a couple days later. Ethan is learning new words so quickly now and Anya is getting very close to talking. She has had a tough time the last few days with teething or a virus but is starting to slowly feel better. I gotta run already but I will post more pictures again soon. we love and miss all our family and friends so much and hope to get settled soon so we can come visit some of you!

Pop Pop and Grandma LeAnn Come to Visit!

2010-05-20T19:45:00.005-06:00

Over Mother's Day weekend Pop Pop and Grandma LeAnn came to visit us! Despite Ethan's terrible two phase we had a ton of fun with them. We visited the Cliff Dwellings (Anasazi I believe) in Manitou Springs and Ethan had a great time wandering through the houses in the side of the mountain. He said he was a little scared but after a while he became Pop Pop's shadow checking it all out. But Ethan's favorite was the Air and Space Museum at Peterson Air Force Base. We all got to tour the museum, the hangar, see all the planes on exhibit outside and even climb aboard one of them. It was pretty cool to see. Ethan and Daddy even got to check out the cockpit. Anya had a great time at all these things too but I think her favorite thing was just before bedtime when she would grab her blanky and bottle and cuddle up with Grandma LeAnn. We had lots of trips to the park, hours of building forts, and watched way too many kid movies, but the best part was just getting to see some of our Utah family that we miss so much. Thanks for visiting Pop Pop and LeAnn! We love and miss you and can't wait to see the rest of our family in UT and AZ soon!

Bathwater, Saltwater, and Puddles

2010-04-25T21:54:00.008-06:00

This week we celebrated Ian's and my birthdays. We both got our own night out with friends since it was easier to do it that way than to find a babysitter. we both had a great time. Ethan has felt a little left out with everyone but him having birthdays lately. When he woke up on Ian's birthday and I told him it was Daddy's birthday he said, "No, I'm taking Daddy's birthday away!" Kinda bratty but a little funny too. Ian has been getting a saltwater fish tank going for Ethan so that has definitely helped him adjust. He now has a percula, Nemo, two domino fish named Domino and Bones, and a yellow sail fish who remains nameless at the moment. It's hard to tell who is more excited about the tank, Ethan or Ian. He will come home from work and just stare at the tank for as long as he can finding new life and creatures growing on his "fiji live rock" or his white Florida sand. So far he's found some polyps and a few starfish. We also have 5 hermit crabs. Anyway, we've had a lot of fun as a fmaily picking out what we want to put in the tank and getting it all going. You'll see in the pictures too that we've been trying to find ways to stay entertained at home hence the puddle stomping day for Ethan and the numerous things I create for Ethan (per request of course) out of couch cushions and blankets. This picture was Ethan driving the kids to school in his school bus. But I guess that's about it from us. Hope you enjoy the videos! Love you all!

Spring 2010

2010-04-04T20:57:00.005-06:00

Happy Belated Easter! So here are some pictures from our visit to AZ. We had so much fun there. The 2 weeks flew by! One video I threw on was of Ethan sword fighting his cousin/uncles...i call them cunkles. But it's pretty funny. There was a lot of that kind of action going on throughout the whole trip. Yesterday for Easter Ian goodheartedly agreed to dress up as the Easter Bunny. Anya loved it! Ethan was a bit wary at first until we told him that it was Daddy, then he was all about it. But here are some Easter pictures and a few random ones from the past few weeks. Hope you like them. Love and miss you all!

For You Mom! Our Valentine's Day Best!

2010-03-03T20:32:00.004-07:00

Yeah it's not always all that great but it's cute and it makes me laugh. Love you Mom! Thanks for the adorable dress. Tell Lindsay there's a new Lady In Red in town! Watch out!

Anya's 1st Birthday

2010-03-03T19:35:00.005-07:00

So it was Anya's 1st birthday this last Sunday. (Thank you for all the cards and gifts). I promised pictures so here they are! We did an "UP" theme from Anya's favorite disney/pixar movie. Tons of balloons, lots of food and friends. It was a great time. Oh and the big silver thing is "The Spirit of Adventure" blimp from the movie. My friend Elise and I paper mached it for a pinata. Anyway enjoy! Love and miss you all! XOXO

2010-02-18T10:42:00.001-07:00

Disney Pixar's Up by lucyyyy on Polyvore.com

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Just Another Week

2010-01-28T08:20:00.005-07:00

2049 Squawbush Ridge Grove

2010-01-17T16:46:00.004-07:00

Winter Fun

2010-01-14T20:12:00.007-07:00

ethan was FEARLESS at the zoo, chasing every animal he could, and getting right up as close to them as possible. i think he may have kissed that chicken and he definitely chased that peacock for a good ten minutes. he was funny. it was a good time.

Sword Fighting With Ethan

2010-01-04T13:40:00.006-07:00

we just wanted you all to start your new year off with a good laugh. happy 2010 everyone!

Just Kinda Cute

2009-12-31T11:56:00.004-07:00

Christmas was pretty nice for us this year. We missed seeing all our family but it was nice to be able to stay home to brave the storms rather than to drive through them. Thank you all for all the generous, awesome gifts. Now we're excited to start the new year! Just wanted to quickly put up some recent pictures and videos for you to all see the kids at their latest shenanigans. :) Enjoy! Love you guys! Happy New Year!

2009-12-08T12:57:00.002-07:00

So we've been a busy family with getting ready for Christmas. Our two little ones are constantly on the move so it's hard to keep up, but we're managing. I did some Black Friday shopping and got some really fun presents for the kids. We also ended up deciding to give the kids their biggest gift a little early. We bought a big play bouncer and they LOVE it! It's good for all of us. It keeps them happy and burns a little energy off which make mom and dad happy too. Anya has grown 4 teeth now with the two top middle ones cutting through any day now. Anya has also started standing on her own for short intervals too. I think she'll be walking within a month or two. Ethan is talking so well now and can speak in full sentences and communicate very well. It's amazing how much little kids pick up so quickly. Anyway, Ian and I are doing well too. Ian has been doing a lot of ranges and teaching lots of classes lately but has been home a fair amount too which has been nice. I've been busy helping plan my friends 1 yr birthday for her daughter and planning for Christmas. Now I just have to put up our outdoor lights if it will ever stop snowing here. Anyway we miss and love you all and wish everyone Merry Christmas! Keep an eye on your mailboxes for our Christmas card and gifts!

Trying To Catch Up

2009-11-19T07:56:00.004-07:00

Sorry it's been so long but now that we have internet access again im making up for lost time with lots of photos. halloween, ethan's birthday, etc. my videos weren't working but i'll get some up soon. love and miss you all!

October

2009-10-05T20:30:00.005-06:00

Some Quick Updates:
-Ian was officially promoted to seargant Oct. 1st!
-We went to "The North Pole/Santa's Workshop" and had some fun on some rides and Ethan rode his first ferris wheel. We also got to see Santa but Ethan was a little timid. We'll have to make another trip when they're both a little older.
-Anya is crawling all over the place
-I dyed my hair brown
-Unfortunately, Ian isn't able to take any leave until he gets out of the Army so we won't be traveling for the holidays :(
-The kids are growing and healthy and happy and cute as ever!

Twilight Cake

2009-09-05T19:00:00.002-06:00

Twilight cake-meadow scene
you can't really see it in the pics but edward is sparkling and the twilight writing is sparkly too. it didn't turn out as well as we'd hoped but we worked with what we could.

Summer Fun

2009-08-30T11:30:00.003-06:00

We have had a very busy last few weeks. I took the kids and drove to AZ to visit my family for about a week and a half. After the 13 1/2 hour drive it was awesome. The kids swam in the pool every day and both loved it. Ethan was even jumping into the pool into my arms. He also got good at floating and started to work on his doggy paddle. Anya loved just floating in her little crab floaty. We also went to an outdoor play area for the kids one day. Ethan had a good time playing in the fountains with the other kids then climbing all over the caterpillars, mushrooms, and butterfly toys that were there. I think being around so many people has been good for the kids because Ethan has been speaking much better since getting there. He is making sentences now. Anya is also getting very close to crawling and sitting up on her own. We had lots of fun with the whole family and I really enjoyed getting to do some shopping. My nephew Mikey was kind enough to make the drive back with me. It was so nice to have him on the drive. He was such a big help and it was great to have his company. He hung out for a day and we all went to Chuck E Cheese the next morning and had an awesome time. You'll see a nice picture of Mikey and Ethan doing the robot with Chuck E. Anyway I gotta go cause Ethan is pressing buttons and I want to post this before he erases it. Love and miss you all. More to come soon!

2009-08-30T11:15:00.001-06:00

For Lisa: The Best We've Got So Far

2009-08-08T08:22:00.003-06:00

The Kiddies

2009-08-01T14:50:00.006-06:00

Twiggy and the Beefcake

2009-07-05T14:59:00.012-06:00

So Anya and Ethan are now wearing the same size diaper. Anya is already wearing 12 month old clothing at a mere 4 months of age. She is getting so chunky and big so fast. She is so cute! She's starting to roll all over the place and it looks like she wants to move more so maybe she will be crawling before long. Ethan is still skinny but he is finally starting to eat a little more. Ethan has made a new friend. There is another family a couple houses down with a little boy named Niam who is only 8 months older than Ethan. They play every day and are constantly asking for each other. They have recently begun giving each other big hugs and sometimes kisses goodbye when they each have to go home. It's pretty traumatic for them to be separated. They are pretty funny together. I'm so glad Ethan has found a friend to play with. Ebony and Arvonda (our neighbors) also have a daughter, Leila, who is only a month younger than Anya. So we spend a lot of time letting the boys play and the girls lay/roll on the floor together. As you will see in the video sometimes Ian joins in on the boys' fun. It's too bad that we recently found out that they are moving to Georgia later this month. The boys are going to be devastated...and so are Ebony and I because the boys behave so much better since being able to play together. As for updating you on our week, there's not too much. We had our neighbors over for a BBQ Friday night and saw a few fireworks from our front steps (because the kids couldn't last that long and were already in bed). But Ian had to work a 24 hr CQ shift on the fourth of July. It's kind of annoying because he found out last minute and he always seems to have to work on Independence Day. I find it a little ironic with him being a soldier but I guess it kind of makes sense too. Anyway, the other morning was kind of exciting. There was a fire truck outside our house so we asked the firemen if Ethan could just take a quick look. They ended up giving him a personal tour of the whole truck. They even let him sit in the driver's seat and play with the steering wheel. He was in heaven. I also have to let you all know that Ethan is coming along with his potty training. We aren't really pushing it right now. We're more just introducing the idea to him but he is doing so well with it. I think it helps that Niam is mostly potty trained and he wants to "be a big boy like Niam." I am not above a little manipulation when it comes to getting Ethan to pee in the potty. The fewer diapers in my life, the better. Anyway, I guess that's about it from us. Happy belated fourth of July to everyone!

Our Visit to Utah

2009-06-23T13:29:00.005-06:00

we finally got a chance to get back out to utah to visit our family there. we got to stay about 10 days and it was so nice to spend time with everyone. we spent the first day checking out the dinosaur museum and thanksgiving point. the kids had a great time and the gardens were beautiful as always. we also went to the kids' water play area, which we had never seen before. we got there as black clouds were rolling in but the kids didn't seem to mind one bit. they splashed in the freezing cold water playing together till we dragged them out. we got to check out the bear cave and take cover in the lighthouse just before it started to downpour. it was a really fun day. we also got to see liam's gym class recital. it was so cute to see him show off all he has learned and see his cute little proud smile when we applauded and cheered for him. it was juast as cute to see little ian and ethan both climbing at the walls dying to get in there and join him in the fun. one of the best parts of our trip was just seeing how happy ethan was to play with all his cousins. i should add that anya was eating up all the extra attention too. but ethan became liam's little shadow and best buds with little ian too. sometimes it was hard to tell ian apart from ethan because they were always together and are both little blondies about the same size. they had some good times at the park too. one of the days ian, matt, and meg took all the kids to the school park and they had a great time dipping their heads in mud puddles and laughing. that was where the bath picture came in. they got pretty dirty. we also got to spend some time with pop pop and le ann. we met up with them and matt and lisa at the scottish festival. we missed the march with all the clans and bagpipes but we still had a good time there before we had to escape the rain again. one of the last days we were there we got to see jay, jen, and ashley. we got some good cold stone then went back to the house to catch up. it was so good to see them but we never seem to get enough time in when we visit. i guess that's about it for now. love you all!

Arizona

2009-05-30T20:17:00.005-06:00

This last weekend we flew out to see some of my family in Arizona. It was a short trip but we had a really good time. It was so good to see my mom and all my siblings and of course the nebbies. Ethan absolutely loved Nathan and was his shadow the whole trip. I think Lisa was Anya's favorite. Lisa once again used her irresistible musk to win her over. But Nana did have some good snuggle time with Anya too. We spent a little time by the pool, though it wasn't as hot as it usually is that time of year. Plus, it had just rained so the water was a little colder than we're used to there. Ethan was not such a fan of the pool this time. Well, actually he loved being out by the pool, just not in the water. He must be like Ian and need the water to be at least 90 degrees before he'll get in. Ian did break down and get in though whenever he got a chance since he needed the sun to beat Lisa in their tanning war. I'm still not sure who won. We also got to do a little shopping while Nana babysat for us (thanks again Mom!) and Linds and Jeff introduced us to gelato. Ian and I had never had it before and I am now a huge fan. It's so much better than ice cream. Anyway, we also got to spend some time with our favorite little Andrea as well as Abbe and Ryan. Abbe and Ryan even got Anya an adorable little dress. I shouldn't forget to add that everyone else spoiled Ethan and Anya rotten too. I think my mom has more cool baby/kid stuff than we do. But she sent us home with tons of cool stuff to bring home for the kids to enjoy too. And Lisa and Lindsay had them all set for the pool with every floaty device you could think of. I know I'm leaving stuff out but this picture of Ethan falling asleep eating dinner on the night we got home shows how much fun we had. We were all pretty tired. Anyway, we just put the kids to bed and I'm not gonna lie, I'm pretty excited to watch the movie we just bought (Taken) so I'm just gonna leave it at: we had an awesome time in AZ! It was worth every penny and every embarrassing cry, scream, or chair kick to the person in front of us on the plane. We already miss you guys! Can't wait for Thanksgiving! And to all our family in Utah, we'll be there soon. Sorry we had to delay the trip but we have to get our brakes fixed first. Anyway, love and miss you all!

Pop Pop Comes to Visit

2009-05-19T21:02:00.006-06:00

This week Pop Pop came out to visit us. He came in Saturday night and we've been pretty busy wearing the kids out since then. Saturday morning we took Ethan to his gym class, which he loved. He ran around like a mad man so it made for a great afternoon nap before Pop Pop arrived. We just kind of relaxed that night and caught up while we had dinner then put the kids to bed. We had a nice big breakfast Sunday morning before we headed up to Fort Carson to show him around. We had to stop and look at the tanks and military vehicles to let Ethan run off some energy. Then we took a quick trip to Borders where Ian got his "Art of War" by Sun Tzu, that he's been DYING to read, and Pop Pop bought Ethan "Cat in the Hat" and "Green Eggs and Ham." And the spoiling began. Next, we stopped at Sears and found a new car seat for Anya and a big boy booster seat for Ethan so he could start eating dinner at the table with us. We're still working on that but he's starting to get the hang of it a little better now. Monday morning we went to Kiddie Kandids where Pop Pop got us a nice family portrait and a picture of him with the kids. Unfortunately, we didn't get the cooperation or smiles I was hoping for but we survived and ended up with some nice pictures. He even got a couple extra 8x10's so Maga and Nana can be expecting those soon. And, of course, Pop Pop got Ethan 2 pairs of shorts, a fire truck, a bulldozer, and Anya 2 outfits as well later that day. After that, we took a walk to the park where Ethan had a blast running around nonstop. Then, today we took a trip to Garden of the Gods and had a nice walk (or run in Ethan's case...the kid has endless energy and insists on running everywhere). We even saw a couple of deer up in the mountains. Before heading home we went to Manitou Springs to try some of the kiddie rides, but Ethan was too wiped out from all his running so instead we got him an ice cream that he thoroughly enjoyed. I, on the other hand, wasn't loving the ice cream and chocolate that ended up smeared on my shirt (and his of course) but hey, sometimes you just gotta let the kids make a mess. Then Pop Pop treated us to some KFC (which is always a nice treat for me whenever I don't have to cook) where Ethan got to practice eating at the table. He actually ate pretty well but I think it helped that he had a drumstick that he could dip in his mashed potatoes and eat like a caveman. All I can say is that we have really loved having Pop Pop come see us...and the kids have never slept better! We'll miss him when he leaves tomorrow. Ethan was even asking for him the whole time Ian was putting him to bed tonight. He's had a lot of fun playing trucks and catch with Pop Pop. He's even learned a new one: dog pile on the rabbit. Ethan just laughed and jumped right on top of daddy and Pop Pop's dog pile as they both sang "dog pile on the rabbit, dog pile on the rabbit!" Personally, I think I had the most fun watching Ian and Dad singing and piling on top of each other while Ethan climbed on. Anyway, Pop Pop will be missed, but we're excited to see him and the rest of our family in Utah in just a few more weeks! Maybe we can get Matt and the boys in on that dog pile on the rabbit huh?? I'm sure Lani and Ari would be up for it too. Well, that's about it for now. Next we're headed out to sunny, scorching Arizona to visit Nana and the rest of the fam and spend some nice relaxing time by the pool. So we'll have a lot more to come in another week. Hope you all have a great Memorial Day! Love and miss you all!

No More Hospitals Please

2009-04-30T15:19:00.006-06:00

We have been a busy family lately. We had our birthdays last week and Ethan helped me make Ian's cake. He's such a good helper. This last weekend our friend Joe's mom, Mrs. Coney, came to Colorado Springs and we were lucky enough to spend some time with her. It was great to see her again and the kids loved all the goodies she brought them (thanks again!). Ethan loved having someone to play with him. And Joe, Ethan still remembers you...your mom brought a little picture of you and he carried it around saying your name. Mrs. Coney and Kasey came over ,for dinner Saturday night and even stayed to help us with bathtime. I know that's pretty boring but I thought it was really sweet that they stayed and helped us. After Mrs. Coney left we started our week. The hospital was our second home this week since we had doctor appointments every day. Ian started out with physical therapy for his knees on Monday. Tuesday was Ethan's 18 month well baby check up and shots. Wednesday was Anya's 2 month well baby and shots and today I had an IUD put in and we had to take Ethan back for one more shot. Anya was not too happy about her shots but she got over it quickly and was soon back to her angelic, contented self. Ethan was a little stud. He didn't even cry. I was so proud of him. So the kids are doing well. Anya weighed in at 12 pounds! Ian calls her "Chubba the Hut". She just loves to eat, just like her mommy. On the other hand, Ethan is a waifish 21 pounds and is a pound under weight. The doctor told us to feed him anything he wants and offer lots of snacks and that we can even give him ice cream whenever he wants it. So Ethan is living the high life, but his favorite by far is still cheese. Any time we ask if he's hungry he says "cheese?". The other main thing that has kept us so busy is that we bought Ethan a toddler bed. I know it's a little early but we're trying to get him used to it now so that Anya can have his crib when she outgrows the bassinet...which, by the rate she's growing, won't be too long. Ethan is making progress but it's been a little rough at night. He's gone from sleeping in it till 10pm, then 2am the next night, then 4am the next night. Last night was back to 10pm, so we'll see. Today he was all about taking a nap in his bed and even laid in there a while after he woke up. So we're crossing our fingers that it will get better. I've also been talking to a neighbor (who has a 2 yr old son) about getting Ethan into the gym/play class that her son is in. So hopefully that will work out. I think Ethan would love it. And finally, to update you on Ian, he didn't have enough points this month to be promoted so we'll hope for next month. But that's about it. I better go since Ethan keeps moving my cursor while I type. Kind of frustrating. We love and miss you all! p.s. Underdowns: I had to throw in a certain picture for you. I think you know which one. He's ready to come visit. Daddy has trained him well. hahaha

Try Not to Get Too Excited

2009-04-18T20:00:00.011-06:00

As usual there's not too much exciting news in the Sanderson household this week. But I'll fill you in on what we've been up to. Grandma Underdown sent Anya a cute Easter dress so we got some pictures of the kids in their Easter outfits. We didn't do baskets or an Easter egg hunt since the kids are still too young to really enjoy it (and it was freezing and snowy out). But Ethan had fun taking the pictures. This week I had my 6 week check up and everything is good except that I've been having some trouble breastfeeding Anya. So I saw a lactation consultant. She gave me a top of the line pump to borrow and has me pumping every 2-3 hours. Today I had to pump every hour. It's been tough to do with two kids but it's starting to pay off so I feel better about it. I'm just glad that it doesn't seem to be affecting Anya in the slightest. She is getting good and chunky...the way a baby should be. She's developing some nice, deep rolls and working on a third chin. Ethan is doing well too. He's got three molars already with more teeth on the way. I'm thinking I really need to ween him off the bottle since I've noticed he's been using those teeth to chew through his bottle nipples. I can commmiserate with Lisa Sanderson on the difficulties of weening from a bottle though. Every time I try to put milk in Ethan's sippy cup, he seems to want nothing to do with it. He doesn't even like chocolate milk. What kind of kid doesn't like chocolate milk? I will not let him outsmart me though. I'm gonna have to pull out the big guns and try Chelsea's method of putting slightly soured milk in his bottle and some good, fresh milk in his sippy cup. We'll see how long he can stand that. Slightly evil, but hey, sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do. Anyway, that's it from us. Check out our videos...just some funny stuff from playing around the house with Ethan. Hope you all like the videos and pics. Love you all!

Sleep Deprivation at the Sanderson's

2009-04-10T19:56:00.006-06:00

Hey everyone. Sorry it's been a while since our last post. Ethan has been teething and between him and Anya, we've had our hands pretty full the last week or two. Needless to say we've been pretty tired. We have good news though. Ian passed his board with 147 points out of 150! We're very proud of him. Thanks to everyone for sending their congratulations. We're also excited that our friend Kasey moved back to Colorado. We haven't gotten to spend as much time with her as we'd like because we've been so busy with the kids but she came over the other day and we got to catch up. I even colored her hair which was pretty fun. Hopefully she doesn't hate her hair (it was my first time...she's very brave). No but I think it looks great. Other than that not too much is new with us. Ethan was getting a little bored and sick of the house so we took him to the store and bought him a new toy. Chelsea and Lisa can attest to how much Ethan likes to clean and his obsession with the vacuum so we bought him one of his own. He loves it and has been vacuuming all day. Now if only they made kid size vacuums that actually picked up dirt, then we'd be set. Ethan is doing well though. He's been learning lots of new words every day. Some of the recent ones he's learned are story, bless you, dirty, mess, clean, hot, hat, funny, happy, open, and cheese. It's really nice for us that he's learning new words because it makes it so much easier to keep him happy and not so frustrated when we know what he wants. Unfortunately he has also learned to move any and all chairs in the house around to whichever counter or drawer he wants to climb up to and ravage. Anya is still a good little baby. She's growing so fast. She surprises me with how strong she is already. She can prop herself up on her elbows when she's on her tummy and hold her head up. She's generally very calm and pleasant and even has decent sleeping habits at night. She wakes up every 2-3 hours but she eats quickly and usually goes right back to sleep, which is a change from how Ethan was. Well, this is all probably pretty mundane for most of you but then again, that's our lives these days. It's kinda funny the things that can excite you when you have kids. Anyway, I guess that's about it from us for now. Love you all!

Happy Belated Birthday Jenny

2009-04-10T19:41:00.002-06:00

Chelsea and Lisa Come to Visit!

2009-03-25T11:16:00.010-06:00

This last weekend we were very excited to have Aunt Lisa and Chelsea come visit us. They were here Saturday through Monday and we loved having them! Saturday we all just hung out and visited and of course watched Twilight. Sunday Chelsea treated us to a very posh, gourmet brunch at the very classy Broadmoor Hotel. I was a little hesitant to bring the kiddies but they behaved very well and Ethan even made a couple friends with the lady and her son sitting next to us. Kim and Shawn joined us as well and it was a lot of fun and the food was great. I have never seen such a spread. Monday we visited a nearby town, Manitou Springs, with lots of little shops and an outdoor arcade with kiddie rides. Ethan had a blast riding the different rides and playing skeeball with Chelsea and Lisa. We were sad to see them leave Monday. The visit wasn't long enough but we're so glad they came to see us. They spoiled us all even though we wanted to spoil them. Other than that I should update you all on Ian's accomplishment. He passed his mock promotion board last week which pretty much gives him the ok on being promoted. He still has to pass the real board on April 1st but passing the mock board pretty much ensures his promotion. So we are very proud of him. We also have to thank Pop Pop and Grandma LeAnn for their gift card and Great Grandma Sanderson for her car seat cover she sent us. We are so spoiled by all of our family. Thank you all again! Just to update you on the kids: Anya has gained a pound and is still gaining. She's a very good baby and is starting to smile a lot more. Ethan is still growing in more teeth but is still just a fun little guy to be around. He's always trying to help with Anya. Any time he hears her cry he runs over to her side. He likes to try to give her her pacifier. I have to make sure he doesn't just shove it in her face but he loves his sister and is a very good big brother already. He loved having Lisa and Chelsea visit and even gave them kisses goodnight each night. Other than that Ian and I are doing well too. We're not getting much sleep of course but it's not too bad. All the smiles, hugs, kisses, and entertainment our two kids provide are worth all the lack of sleep. That's about it from us this week. We love and miss all our friends and family and hope you're all doing well. Meagan, we hope you're feeling better. Love you guys! Talk to you again soon.

The Latest On Our Newest Addition

2009-03-11T20:22:00.004-06:00

So I'll just give you a quick update of the last two weeks. Of course you all know that Anya arrived Feb. 28 at 7:09am. It was the easiest labor ever! I had pitocin for the first 4 hours (which was pretty rough) but then I got an epidural and it was cake from there on. I half slept for the next three hours till I was fully dilated. Then I pushed 5 times and she was out. I couldn't have asked for a better labor. We only stayed in the hospital for a night and got to go home the next day. Luckily Cyndie extended her stay for a day. She was such a huge help with everything. And we were glad she got to actually meet our little Anya. A few days later my mom came to visit. She was also a big help with Anya and Ethan. And Ian and I even got to go on a date while she babysat the kids. It's been a while so that was very nice. Since then we have just been adjusting to having two little ones and trying to keep up with them. Anya is a pretty good baby and sleeps for three hours at a time throughout the night (usually) so it hasn't been too bad so far. I have been pumping so Ian has been great about helping with feedings and giving me breaks. Ethan is doing well so far with having a new sister. He is very interested in her and likes to get as close up to her as he can to check her out. He can already say her name. Sometimes he calls her "Yaya" but he is starting to say her name correctly now. He is just enjoying the new baby and having more time with his dad. Unfortunately he has picked up a new habit of screeching. We're hoping it's just a phase. He does it when he's happy or mad or anywhere in between. The good news is that Anya can sleep through it. I don't know how but it's good cause Ethan is a very light sleeper so it will be nice to have one of them sleep like a rock. Hopefully Ethan won't still be screeching by the time our next visitors arrive. We can't wait to see Chelsea and Lisa in a couple weeks! We hope Lindsay will be able to make it out too. That's pretty much it for now. Sorry we don't have a video this time but we've just had our hands kinda full. I'll make sure we've got one for the next post. Anyway thank you all for being so excited for us and for all the thoughtful gifts. We're grateful to have friends and family like you. Love you all and we'll have another update soon!

Anya Kiersten Sanderson

2009-03-01T19:45:00.004-07:00

February 28, 2009 at 7:09am
6lbs 14oz, 20 inches

Looks Like Another Late Arrival

2009-02-25T15:19:00.006-07:00

So I'm due tomorrow and a little frustrated that my babies like to camp out in my belly and make an entrance when they feel like it. I'm not really having too many strong or regular contractions so who knows when Anya will come. We were hoping she'd be here before Cyndie left (this Saturday) but that's a big question mark. And the doctor will not induce me unless I'm dilated to a 3. So there's hope there I guess. They will check me on Friday and induce me if I'm 3 cm by then. Otherwise it looks like I'll be going through labor alone because Ian will have to watch Ethan (since we don't know anyone to watch him). But enough of that. It has been absolutely wonderful having Cyndie visiting us. Even though Ian has had to work it has been so nice to just spend time together. It's just hard to keep her from trying to do everything and buy everything for us. We have definitely let her spoil us already. And I have to say thank you to Matt and Lisa and Tom and Ingrid as well for all the beautiful, thoughtful gifts they sent out with Cyndie. Thank you guys so much! We love it all. We're so lucky to have family like you. That reminds me that we also have to thank "nana" (grandma Underdown) for the sweet little Valentine's Day dinosaur she sent Ethan. He snuggles him every night in his crib and won't leave his crib in the morning without him. It's so cute. He loves that little dinosaur. Good pick mom (thanks again)! Ian is doing well and has been getting off work pretty early each day so it has been nice to see more of him. Ethan has been a little motor mouth and ball of excitement. He warmed right up to "maga" straight from day one. They are already good pals. He has been struggling a little bit the last couple days because he is teething again. I swear it is never ending. And of course it has to pick back up when I'm 9 months pregnant but we're all managing. He is still just a cute little guy that you can never stay too frustrated with him...especially once he's fallen asleep. I wish we had more to update you all on but for now that's pretty much it. We will be sure to call when this little diva finally decides to grace us with her presence. Until then, we love and miss you all!

Killing Time

2009-02-09T13:02:00.008-07:00

Not too much new here...just getting ready for Anya. I ordered a new glider online today which I'm pretty excited about and we're starting to pull out all our old baby stuff to set it all up for Anya. Other than that Ethan and I are just trying to stay occupied and pass the time. Ian had 24 hour CQ duty Saturday and has it again today. So we've been missing him. But he will have tomorrow off to catch up on some sleep and be home with us. Ethan has been busy growing in three new teeth but is handling it better now. He is also learning how to do a forward roll. It's pretty funny so I threw in a quick video of it. Today he made his first original pieces of artwork. After every color he added he would imitate me and say "nice!" with a big smile on his face. I had to remind him that we only draw on paper and not the wood floors but thank goodness for magic erase sponges. He got to talk to his Uncle Matt and cousin Liam yesterday and he seemed to enjoy that (until we took the phone away...that always makes him mad). Unfortunately, Ian has still not even had his mock board yet. There always seems to be something that delays it. So I will just let you all know once he finally actually passes the board so I don't keep giving false dates. I have another appointment Thursday which I am looking forward to. Last week we got to tour Labor and Delivery. I'm just hoping to get my own room because most of them are shared. But luckily February is a slow month where not many babies are due so hopefully I'll get lucky. I've been having more contractions but nothing big. I have to admit that I'm pretty scared about labor. With each contraction that gets stronger, I start to remember glimpses of the pain but I am hopeful because the second child is supposed to usually be a shorter labor. So I'm sure I will survive. This post has taken me a few days to finish so today is now Thursday. I just had my appointment and now I am 50% effaced and still 1cm. But the midwife stripped my membranes (which they didn't do last pregnancy) so we'll see if that speeds things up at all. That would be nice. They also said that Anya had a growth spurt which is always good to hear. This weekend Ian has a 4 day weekend so we're excited to have him around and do some last minute shopping for Anya. Anyway, we hope everyone is doing well and we can't wait to call you all with the good news once our little girl arrives. Love you all and we'll talk to you soon!

Okay No More Threats

2009-01-31T19:15:00.007-07:00

Hi everyone. First off, thank you all for the comments! I will tell Ian to lay off the threats. But apparently it worked cause we've never gotten that many comments. But we're just glad to see that there are people that actually look at our blog. So, thanks again. I have to send out another huge thank you to my awesome family for sending me a baby shower in a box...well three big boxes. Since I have no friends and all family lives in different states it's kinda hard to throw a shower but they still managed to spoil little Anya and me. So there's a quick little video of the start of opening all the many adorable gifts. That was the highlight of my week. Other than that I have just been hanging out with Ethan ("E-E" as he's been calling himself lately) and Ian. Ian has hardly had to work lately. It's been so nice. He is getting ready for his mock board this week (Feb. 5). So everyone be sure to wish him luck. As long as all goes well there he will have his real board the following week. Other than studying, Ian has just been busy getting our taxes done and had a dentist appointment this week. I have an OB appointment this week and am down to weekly visits from here on out. I will be 37 weeks as of Thursday. I'm hoping Anya comes early. I have a good feeling about it. Some people might call it wishful thinking, but that's what's gonna get me through these next 3 1/2 weeks so I'm okay with a little self delusion. I wish I could think of more new things Ethan is up to but right now I can only think of one. He has started trying to tear off his diaper, which is kind of annoying but funny at the same time. But he is just a fun, crazy, sweet, little guy most of the time. We are just excited to sit back and watch some football tomorrow. Unfortunately for Ian, his Buccaneers didn't make it but we'll be routing for the Cardinals. I have no clue about any of the players of course but I gotta go with AZ since that's home. And for Ian, he says he's gotta route for the NFC team. I'm not gonna lie, I'm there for the seven layer bean dip and lil smokies. But I figure maybe if I get really into it and do some serious cheering maybe it might put me into labor??? I'm gonna do my best. But it should be a good time. Hope you all get to enjoy it too. Love and miss you all!

Leave Comments Please Or We Are Through (title by Ian)

2009-01-24T18:47:00.007-07:00

Hey everyone. It's Aimee again. We don't have a ton of new stuff going on but we figured we'd update you on a few small things. First of all, Ian is finally getting a promotion board. At least that's what they say. He has a mock board in two weeks and the real thing a week later. We're hoping everything goes through like they're promising. Other than that we have been cleaning the house and getting ready for our little Anya to come. We haven't done much to the room yet because we're waiting on our tax return but I'll be sure to take pictures when we do. I had a doctor appointment Thursday and everything is good. Anya and I are healthy and right on schedule. We were pre-admitted and can take a tour of Labor and Delivery any time. We also found out that they might induce me once I hit my due date since it's my second child. That's good news because Cyndie will still be in town to watch Ethan. We also got some vital info on birth control. We love that we're gonna have two kids but that is the perfect number for us. Speaking of the cute little devil...Ethan has been as busy as ever. He's down to one nap a day now so he's sleeping better through the night. He amazes me with how much he is learning and changing from day to day. He's learning lots of new words. He can't say them all fully or clearly, but we know what he's trying to say. Lately he's been working on parts of the face. He also learned the word "meow" and loves to meow whenever he sees a cat. This week we got him a "sit 'n spin" (one of my favorite toys as a child) and he loves it. He hasn't figured out the sitting and spinning but he can stand and spin. It's been funny to watch. Today it was confirmed that he is definitely his daddy's boy as we discovered that he loves shrimp. He also takes after his dad in liking the bad guys in movies. He and Ian were watching "Return of the King" today and Ethan kept laughing and mimicking the nazgul and all the bad guys. Ian couldn't help but laugh and was very proud. I am lucky to have Ian for a husband. He is so good to me and a better father than I could ever hope to have for our kids. No one can make Ethan laugh like Ian. Well, that's about it I guess. I made my chicken enchiladas as well as my mom's famous cinnamon roll recipe (for dessert) so I think I'm gonna go...uhh...feed Anya. The first video is a cute one of Ian making Ethan laugh and the second is a shout out to our good friend Joe Coney. We miss you Joe! (more than you know) And you need to update your blog! Love you all! Talk to you next week!

Happy Birthday Lisa!

2009-01-24T14:20:00.003-07:00

Rainbow Of Emotions (By Ian)

2009-01-18T19:14:00.009-07:00

Well I am back again (it's Ian) to tell you all how life is in Colorado. Aimee is ready to have the baby and was happy to get her hair highlighted this week. The last time she did her hair they did not do a great job with the color. As well, she loved the lady who did her hair since she got a head and shoulder massage. We are happy to hear that Josh and Christine are having a little boy. But we are just trying to get everything ready for Anya. We still have lots of shopping to do because I like to procrastinate. We are hoping that our little girl will come when one of the grandmas are in town. My platoon SGT said he can watch Ethan if no one is in town, which is different than I am used hearing from my chain of command. It's a really nice offer. He's a great guy. I am still on hold for my promotion board. Since we are not a real unit we have no one to do the board for us and they won't let us do it ourselves. But my 1SG is still fighting with Division West so that they will have to give me a board. Ethan has been doing a lot of puzzling things lately. For starters he is fascinated with his belly button as you will see in the video, what I call "Belly Wars". Also, he loves to stick his finger down his throat and gag himself. As long as he does not become bulimic we will be OK. I tried to push his finger down further but all he did is laugh at me so I gave up trying to stop him. We have been doing some spring cleaning which Ethan loves to help with. He always takes a wipe out and tries to clean the furniture or the wood floors. Yes I am like the bad guy from Zoolander and will use child labor. He is still getting better with his words and says light, ball, and food. But most things are still called Dada. We all had a fun time at the park with the ducks and geese. Ethan shows no fear and runs right for them even when they start to go at him. He even made me think he was from Florida and kept going after a kid's bike. Well I hope you all have enjoyed this jabber that I type at three words a minute. Love you all.

The Nobler House Of The Real Sandersons

2009-01-10T19:40:00.008-07:00

So there is nothing new on our end besides Ethan getting better with words. Today he went up to Aimee and pointed to his diaper and said "poo poo." Aimee was very impressed. Also when I was at CQ he said "i love you" over the phone but he is still shy when it is anyone besides mom and dad. Another thing he started doing was riding the toy truck Pop Pop got him. It's not really supposed to be ridden on but he doesn't seem to care. He even tries to ride it on my chest. We also decided on a name for the baby. It is Anya Sanderson and she is moving plenty and letting Aimee know she is there with a good kick to the ribs and sitting on her bladder. Ethan has started to enjoy trying to walk on his toes. I am just happy I don't have to go to WLC for a while now because I don't want to leave Aimee that close to her due date. I am also happy that I got a hold of an old friend, Sean Kelley. I'm glad to hear that he bought a townhome and has his second kid on the way too. So SSG Coney when you see this please let us know what you can't get in Korea so we can finish your package. If you don't let us know I will just get a hold of your mom or Kasey and you will get Ethan's dirty diapers. So if it has HAZMAT on it you will know. But I hope you all like the video. We actually got to go to the park because we had a nice warm day for once. Sorry this update is not as good as normal. Aimee always does it so I thought I would give her a break, so you get me. Love you all.

A Few New Things

2009-01-04T19:40:00.006-07:00

I got bored and decided to change up our blog a little. The posts will still be the same but be sure to scroll all the way down because I added a slideshow and will be posting most of our pictures at the bottom so they're bigger and easier to see. We don't have much new to tell you all but we are all healthy and doing well here. The video clip is of bathtime tonight and Ethan practicing some colors. I also had to include a picture of Ethan snuggling my belly. He likes to lift up my shirt and give kisses to the "babu," or baby, as he calls his little sister. The other picture is Ethan practicing using a bowl and fork to eat his macaroni and cheese. As you can see he got a little frustrated with the fork and decided to just pour it in his mouth straight from the bowl. Other than that, it looks like Ian might be able to delay his WLC class since it is so close to my due date. But we'll keep you posted on that. Anyway, that's it for now. Love and miss you all!

Happy 2009!

2009-01-01T19:37:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year! So we rang in the new year pretty crazy this year. Ethan went to bed around 7:30, Ian was at CQ at work and I read in bed till I fell asleep around 11. But I can't complain. It was nice to relax. I guess I'm getting old. Anyway, not much is new here. We don't have much news but I did resolve to choose a name for our little baby girl by the end of the month...ambitious I know. Ian and I have been butting heads on it because neither of us like each other's favorites and refuse to budge, being the stubborn people we are. Ethan is doing well. It's been in the low 60's so we actually got a chance to play outside a little. You'd have sworn I keep the kid chained in a dungeon the way he bolts out the door whenever he gets a chance. He is becoming a bit of a terror as he is wanting to constantly climb up on every piece of furniture we have and open all the drawers and cupboards he's not supposed to. We have had to sit him on the step a few times until he calms himself down. But that is seeming to lose its effect. Now he just laughs whenever we sit him there and speak in a serious voice. I don't know how I'm going to figure this whole mom thing out and not raise a total brat. Maybe I should've asked for parenting books for Christmas. Well, we hope you are all doing well. Talk to you next week!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T19:35:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas everyone! We were lucky to have an awesome Christmas this year. We even got to sleep in a half hour or so. Then we got busy opening lots of gifts and talking with family on the phone. Ethan loved all the toys and clothes sent from family. He really liked the truck from Pop Pop and Grandma LeAnn but I think his favorite was his new Harley (big wheels) from Santa. He rode that thing around all day long, taking breaks occasionally to play with the rest of his toys. He can't reach the pedals but it doesn't stop him. He's even been standing on the seat with his hands in the air. We have a little Evil Kneivel in the making. Ian and I had a great Christmas too. I got shoes, clothes, make up and beauty stuff, a couple cool books I love and more. Ian got a Nintendo DS Lite, clothes, slippers, a watch, and a new tattoo to name a few of his favorites. It definitely wasn't the same as being with family but we had a really nice Christmas at home despite the small group of just our little family here. It was the most fun to watch Ethan and see his smiles and excitement. We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. Know that we love you and appreciate all the love you all show our family. Merry Christmas!

Messing Around With Our New Camera

2008-12-23T20:27:00.000-07:00

Troop Christmas Party and Ian's New Tattoo

2008-12-21T20:28:00.000-07:00

This Wednesday we had Ian's troop Christmas party. We got to meet some of the families and have a nice dinner. Ethan got to see Santa again and even got an early Christmas gift of blocks from him. He was teething and pretty tired but we still had a good time. Ian also got a new tattoo. He got a raven on a rock, which is his family's crest, with the motto written above it. It was an early Christmas gift too and he's pretty happy about it. It came out really well. We just wanted to do a quick update to let you all know our latest so we also included a picture of my ever growing belly, but we'll have more after Christmas. Love you all!

2008-12-16T10:46:00.000-07:00

It's definitely starting to feel like winter here. It was -8 degrees yesterday! But it hasn't slowed us down much. Sunday we had cookie day and made tons of cookies to give to Ian's troop. We made raspberry cheesecake bars, peanut butter hershey kiss cookies, chocolate chip, peppermint swirl, brownies, and of course decorated sugar cookies. They all turned out pretty well. We have some good news too. Ian is finally going to a promotion board January 1st! If all goes well he will be starting the new year out as an E-5 (seargant). This means that he has to travel to West Valley, UT to take a 2 week leaders training course (WLC) January 9. We'll miss him but hopefully all you guys in UT will be able to see him. They usually don't allow soldiers off post in those situations but we're trying to figure out a way to at least sneak a quick visit. We're also excited that Grandma Cyndie (Maga) is going to come visit when the baby is due. It's coming up so fast now. I can feel our little girl kicking all the time. She's getting so big you can see her movements outside my belly now from time to time. We're still working on a name but we're finding some we like, finally. We hope you are all enjoying the holiday as much as we are. Talk to you soon!

Can't Wait For Christmas!

2008-12-02T15:33:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone. We're back from our Thanksgiving visit to Arizona. It was a busy and fun trip. Josh, Christine, and Eden flew into town as well as my good friend Chelsea. Lisa outdid herself this year. We had a delicious Thanksgiving meal (complete with pilgrims and indians) and lots of fun family events. We played lots of cards and other games, had a family movie day, did a polar bear swim, played some basketball, had a white turkey (instead of a white elephant) gift exchange, and even had a family talent show that was pretty hilarious. My mom even threw Ethan a belated birthday party and spoiled him with lots of gifts before the holiday. It was really good to be able to spend so much time with the family and Chelsea. We also got to have dinner one night at the Coneys' house. It was really good to see them too. Ethan had a blast with Mrs. Coney and the family and of course their two dogs. It was definitely worth the long drive. Now we're home and excited for Christmas. We're sad that we won't be able to make it out to Utah for Christmas but we're trying to make the best of it here in Colorado. We've put up outdoor decorations and already bought and decorated our very first family tree. Yesterday Ethan got to go see Santa for his very first time. He sat on his lap a little confused but he didn't cry. I have to admit that I was a little surprised. He especially loved the little stuffed penguin Santa gave him when it was time to say goodbye. Tonight we went to see the Colorado Springs Festival of Lights. It's a parade of floats covered in Christmas lights and decorations with marching bands, clowns, the whole nine yards. It was super crowded. I had no idea what a big deal it was but we managed to find a place to squeeze in. Ian put Ethan on his shoulders so he could actually see and it ended up being pretty cool. Ethan really enjoyed it. Tomorrow it's off to the mall for some Christmas shopping (for which I am always excited) and then we just get to relax and enjoy the holiday. We hope you all get to do the same. Even though we can't physically be with all of you, I'll try to make it a close second by posting lots of pics and videos this month. (P.S. Good luck in Korea Joe! We already miss you!) We love and miss you all! Merry Christmas!

Pumpkin Carving Is A Skill

2008-10-26T19:57:00.000-06:00

Hey guys! Not much new has happened with us. We're still just excited about having a little girl and enjoying as much Halloween stuff as we can before it's over. Today we watched some "scary" movies (I don't do real scary movies so they're pretty tame to say the least) and carved pumpkins. Ian and I have been having a serious "slug bug" competition whenever we drive anywhere so we brought the competition to our pumpkin carving skills. I definitely spent much longer and may now have carpel tunnel syndrome but I couldn't let Ian have it too easy. I cheated and used a template but he created his all from his own scary mind and whipped it out in like 5 minutes. We'll let you be the judges. Ethan liked them both. He just likes anything and everything Halloween. His new thing is to say "boo!" and try to scare you. But all he can get out is "buh!". He's also getting better at climbing and likes to try to crawl across the top of the couches. So far no emergency room visits but I see them coming. Not much else going on here lately. My belly is growing and I can feel the baby moving all the time now. But that's about it. Hope you are all well. Love you!

It'a A Girl!

2008-10-23T10:53:00.000-06:00

We got sick of waiting so I found a place to do a 3D ultrasound and they got us in right away. It's not 100% certain but the technician was pretty confident that our baby is a girl. We go back in two weeks to be sure. But we are very, very excited! (And glad to finally have an answer).

Frustration

2008-10-21T14:59:00.000-06:00

I guess we'll just have to wait till this baby comes out to see what we're having. The ultrasound technician was wrong when she said that my OB would do an ultrasound for me to find the sex. My appointment was today and the OB said they don't do that. Very disappointing. Sorry I have no news for you all.

Ethan's 1st Birthday

2008-10-19T16:57:00.000-06:00

We celebrated Ethan's 1st birthday this Friday! It was a few days early because Cyndie, Meagan, Leilani, and Ariana came to help us celebrate. It was a quick visit but we were so happy to have them come out and see us. Meagan and the girls helped us decorate the house and Cyndie and Ian even made us homemade root beer with dry ice that was pretty amazing. Ian and I made Ethan's cake, which I think came out pretty cool. Some other friends, Joe, Kasey, and "the Woody" (Ian's old platoon sergeant and friend), came for the party too. Kasey even made Ethan a really cool birthday cookie cake that she decorated herself. Ethan got lots of fun toys and gifts. It was a really fun day but everyone was definitely wiped out by the end. We had to quickly sing happy birthday and let Ethan try some of his cake so we could let the poor little guy get to bed. All the kids were pretty exhausted and went to bed early. Once they were asleep the adults played Catch Phrase and Whoonu. It was fun to get everyone together and have some good laughs. Now that the fun weekend is over we're looking forward to Tuesday when we'll hopefully find out if this new baby is a boy or a girl. We'll keep you posted. But there is one more important announcement: Ian was promoted to a non-commissioned officer last week. He is now a corporal. He's waited a long time but is very deserving and we are all so proud of him. He is scheduled to go to the promotion board this December and will hopefully be promoted to a sergeant. We look forward to that as well. Anyway, we love and miss you all. Talk to you next week!

Waiting

2008-10-11T11:15:00.001-06:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that the ultrasound technician couldn't tell us the sex of the baby. Hopefully we'll find out on the 21st at my next appointment where my OB will do another ultrasound.

Fall Is Here!

2008-10-05T14:57:00.001-06:00

We are so excited that Fall has finally arrived! It is one of my most favorite times of year. I love the cool air and the colors, but especially the holidays. My mom always decorated our house so nicely for all the holidays and that is one thing I enjoy trying to replicate for my own family. Ian is so sweet to indulge me and even help with any decisions or work. This month, in addition to Halloween, we also get to celebrate Ethan's 1st birthday. I know I'm way more excited than he is. I'm already planning a Halloween themed party for him. Whenever we're out and he sees the talking, noise making Halloween monsters and witches, he bounces and giggles so much that we can't help but laugh ourselves. It's a little strange to me that some of the things don't frighten him (sometimes they're a little creepy even to me). But he loves it, so I think this party will be perfect for him. Yesterday we went to the Colorado Pumpkin Patch to kick off our October. Ethan got to pick a few pumpkins, find his way through a straw maze, slide down a BIG slide on a potato sack with daddy, and chase and snuggle some goats. Ethan went right up to the first goat he saw and snuggled his face right up to it. The goats were definitely more afraid of him than he was of them. He was very gentle but just a little more giddy than those goats are used to, I guess. It was so cute. Our friend Joe went with us and thanks to him we got some good pictures of our whole family. We also attended our first Oktoberfest. It was actually very family oriented with lots of German music, food, beers (of course) and even some trained dogs for the kids to pet. Ethan loved that, of course; that and the fact that he had a whole expo center to run around and dance to German music in. There are a couple fun updates from Ethan: he has learned to clap, he can wave and say "hi" (though he waves at himself) and he can also say "pop pop"! I can't believe it but we managed to get a video of him doing all three. That's the update from us for now. I'll be posting a new blog Friday to let you all know if we're having a boy or a girl. But for now, we hope you like the pictures and these quick videos. Love you all!

A Slow Couple of Weeks...Not Such a Bad Thing

2008-09-27T19:23:00.000-06:00

Hello again. I know I said I would be better about updating our blog but we really just haven't had anything to update you all on. So sorry about that. We did get a nice box in the mail from our friends the Coney's. They sent Ethan a sweet, little bedtime book. When we got it we were mid diaper change, but Ethan was very excited about the book (and the box) so we let him enjoy it bare bummed. He climbed right into the box while I flipped through the pages of his new book. He was so excited that he couldn't control himself...literally...and pee-ed right in the box. (Luckily he didn't christen the book). So thank you to the Coney's! (I don't mean that to sound sarcastic. Seriously, he loves the book and the "peeing in the box incident" was pretty hilarious for Ian and me.) On that note, Ethan and I have been reading together more. Ethan has reached a point where he lets me finish reading him a whole book before he has to explore it with his own hands. Chelsea, the polar bear book you gave him is still one of his favorites. Other than that, we're just really excited for Ethan's first birthday party that I'm trying to plan out and of course Halloween. We're undecided on Ethan's costume still. But we'll keep it a surprise until we have pictures for you. We're also anxious for the ultrasound of our other little one in a couple weeks. I'm trying to teach Ethan that there's a baby in mommy's tummy. He has actually said "baby" after I was talking to him about it. He's getting better every day at trying to say new words and I really think he's understanding quite a bit. It's amazing what kids can grasp at such young ages. It's funny how they learn the most important things for survival too. This last week Ethan has begun crying and clawing at the refrigerator door when he wants a bottle. I guess he's figured out where we stash the goods. Ian is doing well. He got three new games for his Xbox360 so he's very content. We both did a little clothes shopping and that was fun too. But our lives aren't extremely exciting as of late so please let us know how all of you are doing. We love your phone calls and emails and, of course, any pictures are just a bonus. We miss you all very much and look forward to the upcoming holidays where we should see pretty much all of you! Love you! Bye for now. (Here's a clip of Ethan practicing his talking a little bit.)

Ultrasound Date

2008-09-16T08:54:00.000-06:00

Just a quick update to let everyone know that my 20 week ultrasound is scheduled for October 9 at 3:45pm MST. So hopefully the baby will cooperate and not be shy and we'll have a gender for everyone then. Just wanted to share that cause we're very excited and it's only 3 weeks away!

So It's September...

2008-09-15T20:44:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone. Sorry I've been behind a couple weeks. I wasn't feeling my best but I'm feeling better now. Anyway, let me update you on our last two weeks. Two weekends ago we went to see the hot air balloons like I had mentioned before. It was really cool to see so many beautiful balloons filling the sky. There was a really ornate Noah's Ark balloon with tons of balloon animals peeking out of the ark. That was my favorite. >Last weekend we went to a nearby town called Manitou Springs to check out an arts and crafts festival and to just hang out. It's a cool little town with lots of shops lining the streets. I think the best part of it was the outdoor arcade. Ethan has his balance and coordination down just enough to enjoy some of the kiddie rides. He especially liked the airplane that went up and down on hydraulics. But what kid can resist the bat mobile? Of course he had to ride that one. I think Ethan gives even Christian Bale a run for his money in this shot. But maybe I'm a little biased. Aside from that we've been just hanging out and reading a lot. Ian is reading his Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan, which he loves. And I have really gotten into the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer which Chelsea was kind enough to send to me. I love having a series to read and can't put the books down. Today I had an OB appointment. I am 16 weeks and 5 days and the baby is healthy. I'm starting to pop out just a hint of a belly now. I hate it cause I don't really look pregnant yet, just like I've become good friends with donuts or something. I guess I should be grateful that I can at least still fit into most of my clothes. (Not for long). I get to schedule my ultrasound for 3-4 weeks from now so I will update everyone on that when it comes time. Ian and I are very excited! I did think I was having a boy but with how crazy my hormones are compared to last time I think it must be a girl. But we're still taking bets... Alright, that's about it for us. I threw in two videos this week to make up for my slacking. One is a better update of Ethan's walking and the other is some bathtime from tonight. I will promise to get back to my weekly updates again. Love and miss you all! Goodnight!

Big News About the Little Guy

2008-08-29T20:26:00.000-06:00

Happy Labor Day weekend everyone! We hope you're all relaxing and enjoying some time off work. Ian has today through Monday off and we have already squeezed in some fun. This morning we headed down to Pueblo, CO to check out the Colorado State Fair. Ethan was still too small for the kiddie rides but we got to see lots of animals. There was cow milking, pony rides, sand sculptures, a petting zoo, and tons more. Ethan got to see some cows, horses, goats, roosters, bunnies, dogs, sea lions , and even tigers. I was surprised at how many different animals they had. Ethan had a great time though. He just got a little upset when we had to take him away from the cows and horses. But he came around when he saw that there was a whole new barn full of other animals to see. Besides the animals we played some fair games and of course had to grab some classic fair foods. It was a beautiful day out and we had a good time. But there's bigger news than the fair in Colorado this week...Ethan started walking!!! Ian and I were actually both lucky enough to be there when he braved his first steps alone. It was adorable and exciting. We got a short clip of some of his efforts that first day. Since then he has been all over the place. He's loving his new discovery and practicing all the time. He's really getting the hang of it. Ian and I are very proud of our little guy. I think those are the main highlights of our week so far. We plan on going to the Colorado Balloon Classic tomorrow so next week we'll have some pictures of all the hot air balloons. But for now that's about it. Before I go we just want to wish Liam a special Happy Birthday tomorrow!! We hope the party is as fun as he is! Oh and I almost forgot...there of course is a video of some of Ethan's first steps as well as a second video that I thought you guys might enjoy of Ethan's first taste of strawberry (don't worry I scraped off all the seeds). Ok, love you all and have a great weekend!

Fun in Denver

2008-08-25T10:02:00.000-06:00

Hey everybody! It's been a busy weekend so sorry I'm a little late on this post. This week started off with my first ultrasound. I seriously thought I was gonna die. You're supposed to drink about 4 glasses of water 2 hours before your appointment and not go to the bathroom so your bladder is full. I guess it helps them see the baby. Anyway, I did that and maybe some more. I couldn't even sit. I was pacing the hallways and literally sweating because I had to pee so bad! I must've looked pretty bad because as soon as the technician/nurse saw me she asked, "Are you in pain? Do you need to go to the bathroom?" I think that was one of my happiest moments all week right there when she said that. It was pretty funny. But the ultrasound came out great and we got lots of pictures. The baby is big and healthy so far so that's all good news. They also moved up my due date to February 26. So as of today I'm 13 weeks and 4 days. Ian is back in cycle at work, which means they have a new batch of soldiers coming through and they have ranges and classes to instruct again. Ian also had another mock board this week and he was even better prepared. The men doing the board all told him he did a good job. Unfortunately, the Sept. 1st board looks like it's going to be cancelled. But they're working on setting up another one. So we just have to wait and be a little more patient. But meanwhile, Ian is getting tons of applicable practice while instructing. So it's just a minor bump I guess. I can't complain because Ian gets home early most days and is treated well. It's a refreshing and welcome change compared to Ft. Knox. Ethan is doing well. I'm pretty sure he's still teething. It seems to never end. But he's lots of fun during the day. He wants to walk so badly. He is constantly doing laps around our coffee table and loves when Ian or I hold his hand and walk around the house with him. He's slowly getting braver but still needs a helping hand. Saturday we all went to the Denver Downtown Aquarium. It was really fun. Ethan got to see some real live "duckies," which he was really excited about, lots of fish of course, exotic birds, sharks, sting rays in a petting pool, neon jellyfish, and even a tiger. It was kind of funny though because I think he was just as excited to see all the other litle kids there as he was to see all those animals. We grabbed some lunch downtown at a great restaurant called Rock Bottom then weaved our way back to our car trying to avoid all the chaos and preparations for the Democratic National Convention. Overall, it was a pretty good week, but we're just as excited to start the new week. The Colorado State Fair just began so we're looking forward to hitting that up if the rain can stay away long enough. I'll be sure to take lots of pictures and video there if we're able to make it. Unfortunately, I accidentally broke the LCD screen on our new digital camera so that's put a little damper on things but we have our old camera still and a video camera so no need to worry. Sorry the video is a little dark this week (it's with our old camera). But if you can't see it at least you can hear Ethan's squeals and giggles. I'll keep you all posted on the latest from us but we hope you're all happy, healthy, and well and we love and miss you all! Talk to ya next week!

A Rainy Week

2008-08-17T09:54:00.000-06:00

Hello again. This week there hasn't been too much going on for our family. It's been pretty rainy all week so we've been home a lot. We had a big hail and thunderstorm and have had some flooding but nothing too severe. Tuesday was eventful for me. I have been having a bad toothache for a while so I made an appointment on Tuesday and it turned out that I needed two root canals. It was an unpleasant surprise considering I'm not covered on Ian's dental plan. I thought I signed myself up but I didn't fill out the right form at first so I am not covered until September 1st. The dentist said they were really bad and I already knew that by the amount of pain I was in. So unfortunately we couldn't wait 3 weeks and had to pay $2200 out of pocket. But I got my teeth fixed and am slowly feeling better. It's kind of rough when I can only take Tylenol for pain but I feel much better having the root canals done. I've been feeling really tired lately but other than that I am doing well. I will be 12 weeks along in my pregnancy on Monday. One fun thing we got to do this week was go to Ian's troop BBQ on Thursday. We watched Ian play softball and Ethan got to play with some other kids. His favorite part though was that there was a dog there that he got to play with. I wish I had a video or at least a picture of that. It was so cute and funny to see little Ethan with this beefy bull mastif. The dog was so well behaved. She let Ethan climb all over her and pet her and he'd just giggle with a squinty-eyed face when she would lick him to give him kisses. It was so cute. I'm gonna have to get a video of Ethan with dogs because he absolutely loves them and it's the funniest thing to see how excited and animated he gets. This week we didn't take many pictures so I threw in a couple videos. One is another of us playing on a rainy day we were stuck inside and the other is of Ethan showing off his muscles. We discovered that he loves to hang like a monkey on the top of our bed. He can even hold himself up on his own for a little while. We thought it was kind of cute so I hope you guys enjoy it. Anyway there's not much else new. Ian is doing well and just busy working. Oh there is one more thing. Rob sent us some cool software for creating DVD's out of our home videos. We've been messing around with it a little already and hope to have a fun DVD for everyone by Christmas. That's my goal anyway. Cross your fingers that my technologically challenged mind can figure it all out and make something worth watching. We love you all and we'll talk to you next week!

A New Car and Some New Tricks

2008-08-08T19:35:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone! This has been a busy but fun week for us. Ian had Monday and Tuesday off of work, which was nice for Ethan and me. Ethan has been busy growing his four top teeth so he's needed the extra love from dad (and I've been so thankful for the extra help!). In addition to his extra help around the house this week, Ian had a mock promotion board in which he did very well. We got to see him dressed in his class A uniform too. He's a very handsome man anyway, but the uniform just makes him even hotter. We still have a lot of studying to do but he is working very hard to reach his goal of becoming a sergeant. On Tuesday, we traded in our Xterra and bought a 2005 Mazda 6. We've put a few miles on the Xterra so we wanted something with fewer miles that was more fuel efficient. It's a very cool car and we got a great deal on it so we're pretty excited about it. In Ethan's world there's always stuff going on. He is starting to stand up and balance on his own for a few seconds at a time. He'll even take a step or two without holding onto anything but he's still working on the walking thing. He's not quite there yet. He has a few new favorite things to do though. One is to climb into the cupboards and play with whatever he can find in there. He has also discovered his tongue and likes to stick it out and make funny faces. My favorite new thing though is what I call the tripod. He makes a human tripod by standing on his two feet and his head. It's pretty funny. He is so much fun and it's amazing how quickly he is growing and learning. I'm so grateful to Ian for working so hard and allowing me to be home with Ethan at this age. I get to see all the cute little things he does on a daily basis and we have so much fun together. He is my best little buddy. However, despite all the bonding time I have over Ian, Ethan is never more excited than when his daddy walks through that door every afternoon. It is the cutest thing. Ethan may be a momma's boy if he gets hurt or it's bedtime, but he is definitely daddy's little boy. He races as fast as he can on his chubby little hands and knees straight to daddy. And no matter how tired Ian is he is always equally excited to see his little man (and of course me too). I am so lucky to have such a perfect husband who is such an awesome dad. I've been a little nervous about welcoming another little one into our lives so soon, but the more time passes the more excited I am about it. Ethan brings so much happiness into our lives and I'm sure it will just be doubled with the next one. I have all the support I could need and I can't wait to meet the newest little Sanderson. I'll just cross my fingers that this one sleeps better than Ethan. Anyway, that's about it from us. Of course I had to throw in a quick video so this week it's just some playtime but you get to see the tripod in action. Love you guys!

Random happenings this week

2008-08-01T20:11:00.000-06:00

Ok so I have some good news and some bad news. First, the bad news is that Ethan is growing too fast to wear the skunk costume I made him for Halloween this year. Sad, I know. But, the good news is that he fits in it right now! And don't think I didn't make that kid wear that thing and pose for some pictures. Isn't he the cutest skunk you've ever seen? But there is hope. We were at Babies 'R Us today and he was lovin' the kangaroo and lion costumes they had. So we have some options. Keeping with the whole animal theme, we went to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo earlier this week. It was busy but we still had a great time. The giraffes are always the highlight, but it was a little too crowded for Ethan to get licked again this time (probably better that way). We also got to see some new exhibits of mountain lions, bears, and even a moose! Other than that, Ian switched platoons and became a combat operations instuctor. He is very excited as he is now able to work side by side with his best friend Joe Coney. Ian is also preparing for a promotion board next month. Hopefully in a month or so he will be a sergeant (E-5). Finally, Ian has officially quit smoking! He is doing so well and I'm so proud of him. It's a big support to me. Not much is new with me...just hanging out with Ethan eating my pickles and ice cream. My morning sickness has subsided with the help of some unisom and vitamin B-6, so I feel fabulous. But before I go I have to explain the following video clip. I discovered that Ethan is a fan of the Teletubbies! Ian is quite disappointed but I find it hilarious. Ethan will be glued to the screen giggling and squealing with joy. I think it's great...even if that baby-sun thing is a little creepy. But that's it for now. I think I've rambled long enough. We love you all and hope to have more fun updates next week. Bye!

Trip to AZ

2008-07-23T10:09:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone. Ethan and I are back from our trip to AZ. We had a great 2 weeks with the family. The first weekend we were there Abbe was in town so we got to see her for a couple days which was really nice. We did lots of swimming right off the bat and little Ethan LOVED the pool. he's my little fish. It didn't matter if he was splashing himself in the face or getting cannon balled by his cousins, he was lovin' every minute of that pool. He got to spend lots of time with family and got spoiled by Lisa, Lindsay, and Grandma who bought him a bunch of adorable clothes, shoes, hats, etc. But despite their spoiling Ethan's favorite person of the trip was, without question, his cousin Nathan. Any time Ethan even heard Nathan's voice he was off crawling at lightning speed in that direction. Nathan was a great little helper for me; all the family was. I even got to see Batman: The Dark Knight while Grandma babysat (a very nice treat...I loved the movie!). Those are just some of the highlights of our trip. We had a great time! But we missed Ian while we were gone. Ethan even started saying "da da" towards the end of the trip to let me know I needed to get him back to his daddy. But now we're home and all doing well. Ethan has given me the best welcome home gift-he is finally sleeping through the night. The other night he slept for 8 hours straight! I think those four new, top, front teeth starting to poke through have something to do with it. But I couldn't be happier. I have both my boys back, we're healthy, and I am getting sleep again! What more could I ask for? Well, we love you all and hope all is well with everyone. Talk to ya next week!

2008-06-29T10:01:00.000-06:00

hi everyone! so not much new in the last week but i'm gonna keep this thing current to please my chelsea. anyway, one new thing i can think of since last week is that ethan and i have planned a trip to AZ to visit my family. we'll be away from dad for a whole 2 weeks. i'm sure he'll manage. and i'm sure we will too. i'm very excited to see my mom's new house and plan to spend many hours in and by her pool. exciting news in ethan's world: he got to explore an army humvee. i wish i had a picture to show you all but it was very cute. ethan just stood in the driver's seat holding onto the steering wheel and kept jumping up and down. he was lovin' it. he got the chance because ian was in charge of a "static display" with the vehicle outside the army ball that day and we brought him lunch. that's about it for now. love you all!

2008-06-22T13:43:00.000-06:00

So here it is. I am finally entering the 21st century and setting up a blog. I'll just update everyone real fast for those of you who we've lost touch with. Ian recently rejoined the Army after being out for only about 2 weeks. He just realized he really never wanted to leave in the first place. So we moved to Colorado Springs in January and bought a townhome in March. We are pretty happy here and are just glad to be settled somewhere for a little while. Ethan is now 8 months old and is crawling and climbing all over the place. He has his two bottom, front teeth and is working on pushing some more out soon. He's a very happy little boy. I'm enjoying staying home with him while I can, which looks like it will be a little longer now because we just found out today that I'm pregnant again. We didn't really expect this one so soon but we're very excited about it. Ian is hoping for another boy, of course, and I would love a little girl, but we'll be completely happy with either. Oh, we also recently returned from a quick visit to Utah to visit family. We managed to see everyone in the week we were there and squeezed a lot of fun in. We went to Thanksgiving Point to see the gardens and also for the Scottish Festival. Ethan had his first dip in the pool and lots of time with cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. We are excited to have Ian's dad and stepmother come visit us next month. Anyway, that's pretty much all that's new with us. I will try to keep this updated and hopefully it will help us keep in touch better with friends and family.