Potty Trained...

  So I honestly didn't think this day would ever come for Brigham. He is quite a stubborn little boy and when he gets his mind set on something he doesn't waver, He has wanted nothing to do with going potty in the toilet. Everyone always told me that the second one is always easier because they want to do whatever their big brother is doing, this is not the case for Brigham, he could care less where Parley goes potty! but about 3 weeks ago I decided one monday morning to give it a shot, (My goal has always to been to have him potty trained by Christmas) he fought me all morning on just putting the underwear on, I finally got them on him by distracting him and while I was in my bathroom getting ready he ran back and told me he had to go potty, I couldn't believe it. He went in the toilet standing up and all. I was so proud and we made a very big deal of it. Well, he had a few accidents that day, more than not, but I felt we made progress, The next day was even better and I am happy to say that a couple of weeks later, he has it down, he has still had a few accidents mostly when he is playing mario kart because he doesn't want to take the time to go, but other than that he has done awesome. I am so proud of Brig and feel so happy to have only one in diapers. Definitely a blessing!! Love you Briggy boy, way to go! (his legs are so skinny and pretty much no underwear fit him, hopefully he grows into them soon)

Thanksgiving 2010..

Our Thanksgiving was very low key this year and it was actually pretty nice to not be in a hurry to go anywhere. We ate dinner at 4:00 at Great Gma and Gpa Shupe's house, so we pretty much hung out all day in our pajamas and watched the parade and played some wii until we had to go. We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving day and that we all were able to remember all that we have to be Thankful for!

 This is how Parley looked the other day when he got home from  school, he had had a thanksgiving feast! Parley came home an Indian and Brig came home a pilgrim ( i wasn't able to get a picture of brig because he fell asleep on his way home from school that day)

 Travis's mom Heidi was supposed to make a few pies for Thanksgiving and since her kitchen is under remodel right now I volunteered my kitchen so I could watch her and re-learn how to make pie, I remember making pies in foods my senior year of high school but honestly I don't think I have made one since. So this was so fun for me to watch her and help her, Thanks Heidi for teaching me how to make pies again! bythe way they were delicious!

 This is my only picture from thanksgiving dinner, but here is the 3 kids enjoying their dinner...

And here is our Thankful turkey for 2010, this has been a fun tradition for our family, we try to do a thankful feather every night in November, we missed a few nights but for the most part Parley wouldn't let us miss! The kids loved doing it! A few things we were thankful for this year are:
-School, Church, Bottle, Coloring, House, Turkey, Blanket,  family, Bedroom, Ella, Food, Ball, Book of Mormon, Prophets, Cars, Body, Grandma's and Grandpa's, Jesus, The U.S.A, an amazing Husband, Girls (that was parley's yikes!), Bed, Toys, Fresh Air, Camera, Temples.
It was fun to hear what the kids were thankful for each night and how they would really think about it. as for me, I am so thankful for my little family, I love them more than anything and I can't even imagine life without them. We hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving! WE are all looking forward to Christmas!

A Christmas Party in November...

 We had our 2nd annual Anderson Family christmas party where we went to the Bishop's storehouse and worked for 2 hours and then went to the Brown's for a yummy dinner and program. It was a very fun night. I loved going to the storehouse there was something for all of my kids to do.

 this year we packaged toilet paper..

 bagged potatoes...

 these 2 were as happy as can be riding on the carts..

 these 2 were so crazy together but at least they had fun while they worked..

 Me and my sister Emily took lots of the youngest kids into the store part and stocked the shelves..

 Brig was my best little helper and loved stocking everything...

 we also bagged oranges..

 Then we went to Brown's for a yummy dinner, it was so fun to be with everyone and of course we missed Brad and Aimee and their family and of course mom and dad, but are so excited that they get to be here with us next year. 

 Travis and I brought home a whole bunch of gifts for everyone from my parents from the philippines , all the guys and older boys got some oakley knockoffs, they modeled for us!

This totally got me in the mood for the Holidays, I had to give the program and I focused on Gratitude, we have so much to be grateful for. And my eyes were totally opened when we went to the Philippines, I really feel so blessed to have all that we have , especially the little things that we take for granted everyday, like flushing toilets, warm water, a garbage system that takes away garbage once a week, a beautiful home full of more than enough of everything! I really think that my kids closets could clothe more than 100 kids in the philippines. We have so much to be grateful for, and I am so grateful for this time of year to reflect on that and to be with family. I love to be with family, I think that is what the Holidays are all about and am really looking forward to the next couple of weeks to do just that!

Pres. Monson said in his talk "The divine gift of Gratitude":

My brothers and sisters, to express gratitude is gracious and honorable, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live with gratitude ever in our hearts is to touch heaven. 

I just loved that and thought that I am going to really try to live with Gratitude ever in my heart, so that I can touch Heaven. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! 

Baking with Ella....

Ella loves to help me in the Kitchen, she especially loves to taste anything we are making. Here are a few pics of miss ella..

 She also loves dolls, we got this american girl magazine in the mail and she loves to look at it, she sat her for about 30 minutes looking at this magazine, i kept asking her if she wanted to get down and she would say no.. I love that she is so girly!

Taekwando..

Parley just started some Taekwando lessons and is loving them. They are about the cutest things to watch too. I took him to his lesson last saturday and when we walked in the door, Master Oliver asked him how he was, and without any hesitation his reply was,"Outstanding Sir". I was dying and thought it was so cute.  He has loved it and loves to tell everyone that he is in Karate!

Forgot...

I don't know how I could forget to mention how much I missed our kids while we were on our trip, they all did great (as far as I heard, their baby sitters could be lying to make me feel better), we were able to talk to them a couple of times on Skype and they all seemed to be doing fine. Parley did come down pnuemonia a couple of days before we got home , but he was well taken care of and well on the road to recovery by the time we got home. The morning we left Ella could tell something was up and wouldn't let me leave her site until Grandma Heidi got here, then she wanted nothing to do with me, she was mad at me, it actually made it easier to leave then if she would have been crying. I was so grateful to all the family that helped so much and loved my kids as if they were their own. Heidi and Grant and Jessie slept here and took care of everything and all the kids, I even came home to a house that was cleaner then when we left , Ella spent a couple of nights with the Wagstaff's and Parley spent a couple of nights at Doug and Katie's. I feel so blessed to be surrounded by our families and that my kids get the opportunity to interact and be with their cousins. Thank you so much everyone, I enjoyed myself so much more knowing that our kids were in good hands.  We owe you all!! love you!

I can't even tell you how good it was to come home to these 3 crazies, it didn't take long to get thrown back into reality, but reality is where I want to be!

 Ella has quite the little personality and was cracking me up the other day with these glasses..and the reason she is only in her undershirt is because I went into get her from her nap and she had stuck her hands down her diaper that had poop in it and had got some all over her shirt, I don't know how she managed to keep her pants clean..

 Wild kids..

 Ella is totally in love with her baby and yesterday she was trying to put these diapers on it, I was dying, she was talking so cute to her baby.

oh and I really do do her hair, she just takes it out during her naps, so she pretty much looks like this for half of the day, I think she needs a trim..

a fit...

Ella throws the funniest fits sometimes and she is so dramatic, she was doing this one the other day and the camera was right there so I had to get it and it made her even more mad. so funny! love this girl.

 and I had to throw a couple in of brigham, I was feeling so bad for him the other day, I took the kids to costco on Saturday and they had all there samples out and Parley wanted to try all of them, I kept trying to tell Parley no because Brig couldn't have them and it would make him feel bad, but he wasn't bothered at all and everytime we walked past another sample he would say "mom, that hurts my tummy?" he is the sweetest little boy and never cried or acted out once because he didn't get what everyone else was getting, he was so excited when we saw a table with cheese on it, he screamed, "mom, i can have that!" i love this little boy!

Halloween 2010..

We returned home from the Philippines on wednesday the 28th, we were thrown into halloween with a party on Thursday, kids school parties on thursday, pumpkin patch on Friday, Trick or treating and pumpkin carving on Saturday, another party on Sunday. Whew.. it was fun but I am glad it is over...

Happy Halloween!

 

 Parley's school program was so cute and he did such a good job singing all of his songs, he has 2 teachers and the one told me after that she was so glad Parley was on his side because he sings the loudest. :)

 Our little Luigi..

 Luigi and his teachers...

Then we went and helped a Brig's school for about 20 minutes, he was so suprised to see me there and loved showing me everything..

 as we left his school, his teacher said bye Brigham and he said no no, I'm Mario... he has said that to everyone, he really likes to be in character...

 and Ella was the spectator at all the events...what a trooper..

party at Kyle and Heather's...

Dipping yummy caramel apples...

Playing don't eat Jack...

The pumpkin Patch..

Carving Pumpkins...

 

 The finished product...

 Halloween Dinner...

 Gluten Free Halloween Dinner...

 ready to go trick or treating...

 Off they go  in the rain..

 The loot... Parley is not in this picture because he stayed out forever trick or treating, and came home dripping wet, but he had a bucket full of candy...

 Anderson Family Halloween party..