Angry Birds!

This is how they block the goal!  I love it!

I'm not sure what he is doing, but isn't he cute?

Collin and Alex.  This is how most of the game looks honestly!

Collin started soccer this last spring.  He loved it!  His team is called the Angry Birds!  He has two of his little friends on his team, Alex and Lincoln.  Alex's dad is the coach.  He is so patient with this crazy boys and we are so glad he is helping them.

Camille's Favorites

Camille Anderson

AGE 6

My Favorite Things!

Color: All of them (Except White)

Song: Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes in Chinese

Food: Hershey Kisses with Candy Canes in them

Toy: My Baby Alive

Restaurant: Famous Daves (Pig Robin)

Thing to Do: Play with all my friends at the same time

Book: Grandparents love their little ones, or There’s a monster in my Closet

Movie: Barbie and the Mermaid Tale

When I grow up: I want to be a teacher

Best Friend: Paige Franklin

The Best Thing about Being 6: I get to go to Kindergarten!!

Kooper LOVES to be outside! Everytime it gets too quiet, we have to go check and see if he climbed out the doggy door. Rain, Shine, or Even Snow!

The reason there is a pathway on the back deck, is the dog is such a wuss that he won't go out to go potty unless I clear him a path! Talk about Spoiled!

Precious

When Kooper was so sick recently, I came downstairs to this! My heart just melted!

Camille told us later that he had fallen asleep himself, and then she cuddled him over. She said "He never wants to fall asleep on my lap, and all I want to do is snuggle him!"

What cute kids!

Spring!

At our house, we have been in dire need of some spring! So we decided to paint some pots and plant some flowers! We had a great time and even Kooper got to paint!
































Kooper was having so much fun! The tub was really colorful by the time he got clean!

Star Student

Camille was the Star Student last week at school. She was THRILLED! She just felt like the most special kid in the world!

When I asked her what the star student is, her answer was: I get to butt in line! Oh, the simple joys of being a kid!

She was so excited about her poster. It was nothing special, but she loved it!

My thoughts AKA My Rant

Ever have a day like this? Today is that day for me!

I feel judged, mistreated, and sad!

So, for anyone who actually reads this, here are my thoughts today.

Mothers have a really hard job sometimes! Not only are we in charge of everything and everyone, we have to listen to everyone judge and analyze our every move! No matter what we do, someone is always there to stand up and tell you why your decision is the incorrect one. So here is my thoughts to all of you HATERS!

My jobs include the following:
Chef
Maid
Nurse
Secretary
Taxi Driver
Entertainment Coordinator
Accountant (Sorta) Troy does the finances, but I am the bargain hunter
CEO
Nurturer
Laundry Lady
And I'm sure many others that are so routine right now, that I can't even think of them off the top of my head.

Women everywhere have been doing these same things for centuries. I am not anything special. I am not the best at any of the above listed jobs. And until I am, I try really hard not to judge other people who have shortcomings either.

Today I was judged, and very harshly for a decision I was making. Not only did it hurt my feelings, it made me feel as though I wanted to lash out and tell this person exactly what THEY were doing wrong. I bit my tongue. But here I am sitting here upset hours after this happened and I am realizing why it bothered me so much.

First of all, this person is a dear friend to me. I love them to death. And anytime you are really open with someone it leaves you open to getting your feelings really hurt. And often, when you become really comfortable with someone, you say things openly without thinking of how that is going to make them feel.

Secondly, very few mothers feel they are doing all that they can/should be doing! We all deal with fear of failure, or fear of letting others down etc. on a daily basis. We as Mothers, really need to hold our heads up high and stand up for ourselves! We deserve to feel we are doing our best.

So, All of you AMAZING mothers out there in the world, most of which will never read my blog, HERE'S TO YOU! You are doing a great job! You are loving your children and making the best decisions you can for them. You are teaching them, and loving them, and opening doors for them to have opportunities to grow!

To all you HATERS out there that are so quick to judge. ENOUGH! Try to be understanding of people and their situations. I can promise I will do my best not to judge you when you make a decision that I really don't agree with. That is your job as a mother to be the caretaker for your own family. It isn't really up to me and my family really isn't up to you!

Kids Say the Darndest Things...

Collin told me this joke as I was putting him to bed

Collin: Why does a carrot laugh?
Me: I don't know, why does a carrot laugh?
Collin: Cause it gets chopped down!

Then he burst into laughter! I didn't get it, but I thought he was cute!

My Funny Kids

Today after school, Camille went to see yogi bear with a friend to give me a little break (Not feeling hot after my surgery). She came home all excited about it and not 3 minutes later the phone rang.

Mom: Hello?
Addy: Um Hi!
Mom: What can I do for you?
Addy: Can I talk to Camille?
Mom: Camille, the phone is for you!
Camille: Hello?
Addy: Can you come play?
Camille: Sure! Bye!

After she gets off the phone, I asked what was going on. This is the reply.

Mom: What was going on?
Camille: I'm gonna go play with.... (Pause).... Wait, Who was that??
Mom: It was Addy
Camille: I am going to Addy's house!
Mom: Don't you think you should ask who is on the phone before you agree to go over there?
Camille: It's so hard to remember all these rules!

She is getting so big!

Temple Square

We went to go to the lights at temple square. We rode the train down, went to the food court at the gateway, and then saw the lights. Here is just a few pictures of it.












































We of course had to search and search for the bag with the Chinese writing on it. When we FINALLY found it (It was like the 5th to last bag of all of them), Camille announced as loud as she could I SPEAK CHINESE! She is sure proud of herself and I am glad! I think its great!










If you ask what their Favorite things were, this is how they respond:

Camille: The train was fun and finding the Chinese!
Collin: I liked the Train and IckDonalds. Then we can go home!
Kooper: Loved the whole thing!

Our Mary and Wise Man

Most years at the Christmas Eve party, the kids dress up and we do the nativity with them. This year, we had Camille as Mary, and Collin made his debut in the nativity as a wise man! Camille was a little hesitant at first, but she really loved all the attention.














Collin made an adorable wise man, and he really was listening to what he was supposed to do! I was so impressed by him!

















All the Anderson Cousins!













I was so proud of Camille and Collin this year. They really seemed to understand the Jesus part of Christmas this year. When they were asked why we get presents, they would respond "For Jesus' Birthday! He isn't here to give presents, so we give them to others."

I didn't think I could love them any more than the second they were born, but the truth is, I love them more everyday!