Alvin & Laura

Are these really all mine?

2012-01-29T17:59:00.003-07:00

Enjoying the "babymoon." Just snuggling with this baby is bliss. I love googling over his tiny toes and inhaling his milky smell.

See the doll feet hanging out the the carrier? Every day I put Clay in a baby carrier and go for a walk, pushing Miles in the stroller. Miles wanted to try carrying his baby in a carrier, too. (He can't sleep at night without his baby next to him on the pillow.)

Clay's cheeks and neck are pudging up. He gained nearly a pound at his one-week appointment with the pediatrician! What a happy face.

Alvin's new couch, before bringing it home from the store. He totally designed our basement "den." He painted it and furnished it with a couch, new TV, abstract painting and TV stand. We love to hang out there.

We still take naps around here

2012-01-29T17:39:00.002-07:00

Although you may see two little boys above, the real person getting some rest here is me!

Remember how energetic Alvin is? Well, it's definitely coming in handy these days. He can supervise his oil wells for a couple hours in the middle of the night, wake up at 6:30, work all day, then come home and play with Miles and hold Clay. My knight-in-shining-armor's best weapons? The pacifier and the iPad. I love you, dear!

What Miles says . . .

2012-01-26T07:22:00.001-07:00

...when he's hungry: ||: I want some raisins and some cereal and some marshmallows and some nuts and some p-butter balls and some cheese and some dates and some apricots. How 'bout alla dos? :||

...when Clay is crying: Put the pass-fier on that baby! He's cryin'!

...when I'm crying (because Clay is crying and Miles is hungry): I want give you a hug. You a lil' bit happy?

The Little Toddler That Could

2012-01-24T15:11:00.002-07:00

Miles has been watching the 2011 animated version of "The Little Engine That Could." It's about a train, so of course he loves it. He randomly quotes lines from the movie, complete with inflection: "We can't just leave them!" and tells me about the characters: "Richard, the real boy, and the 'cary' [scary] train."

The other day we were out for a walk, and Miles was riding his new bike from Santa. When we came home, I assumed he would jump off the bike and let me push it up our steep driveway. Instead, Miles kept pedaling while I pushed his back. As we started up the hill, Miles chanted, "I tink I can, I tink I can, I tink I can." I almost burst out laughing. It was cool that he applied something he had seen in a movie to his own life. When we got to the top, he said, "Look! Made it to the top!"

Welcome, Clay

2012-01-02T17:25:00.001-07:00

Here is our sweet little baby boy! Clay Steven Anderson arrived Thursday, December 29, 2011 at 2:53 pm. He weighed in at 7 lbs 9 oz and measured 20 inches long. The middle name "Steven" is after my dad, and "Clay" is after, well, we just thought it was a good name: simple, easy to spell, not too common, and starts with a strong, hard consonant. Plus it's a geology name, like Miles. :) Plus we have a pretty cool friend named Clay, too.

Clay is a pretty easy baby. He sleeps, starts to wake up and get fussy about every 3 hours, eats, then falls asleep again. He's the first of our family born outside of Utah; we're interested to see what an Oklahoma birth certificate looks like. As soon as we brought him home from the hospital, we had to buy some actual "newborn"-sized clothes. (Miles was only that small for about a week!)

Alvin took a few days off work to help at home and hang out with our new addition. Miles is enjoying extra daddy-time (including trips to the park and zoo), and I'm enjoying asking Alvin to do the dishes and pick up clutter while I lay in bed, sit on ice packs, nurse Clay, or try to satisfy my suddenly ravenous appetite.

Birth day?

2011-12-29T10:11:00.000-07:00

Today I am 41 weeks and 6 days pregnant. Since people seem to think you combust at 42 weeks, I scheduled an induction for today. Can I just say how extremely NOT happy I am about being induced? This decision has caused me a great deal of turmoil and fear.

However . . . the stars and planets must be aligned, because exactly one hour before leaving for that appointment, I started labor at home. Maybe we'll get to meet that baby today!

TBD

2011-12-23T17:36:00.001-07:00

Maybe this baby is waiting to be born until we choose a name for him. We have it narrowed down to four for the first name, and we picked the second name. If you ask Miles, he would say, "How 'bout Train Anderson?"

Estimated Due Date

2011-12-16T21:20:00.003-07:00

Miles is is bed, Alvin is reading the news online, and I'm not in labor, so I think I'll post a few pictures of our lovely trip to Utah. My sister Amber got married December 3rd, so it was the perfect excuse to visit our families, who we've been missing.

Utah is much colder than Oklahoma, but we brought enough warm clothes to go for a little hike/walk. My Aunt Rosie was in town for the wedding, and since she's been taking a geology class, she requested Alvin lead a geology "field trip." He did great, and it reminded him how much he likes teaching people about geology. Miles was happy to find some tractors at one of our stops.

Here come Brian and Amber out of the Salt Lake Temple. Don't trip over Miles' blue Dinoco car! He borrowed it from Aunt Ann and wouldn't let it out of his sight the whole trip. I loved Amber's dress, and I cried through the wedding.

Here we are at the reception. Oma brought a new toy for Miles: a red tape measure. He asked me to lay on the floor so he could measure the baby in my tummy. Guess who's been coming to prenatal appointments with me :)

We made a quick stop to visit Miles' old friend Ella and her brother Calvin.

The whole trip was really very nice. It was sooo good to see our families and take a break from work, fixing the house, cooking, and being in charge of Miles. He had so many attentive relatives doting on him that I got to really relax. Also, Miles loved playing with his cousins and their toys. It made me sad to think that he is missing out on that while we live so far away.

P-beeb

2011-11-14T13:12:00.003-07:00

Here's a recipe for one of Miles' favorite snacks. He helps me measure the ingredients, then tries to snarf big handfuls before I'm finished stirring. "Peanut butter balls" must have been quite a mouthful, so he calls it "P-beeb."

Peanut Butter Play Dough

1/2 c. peanut butter

2-4 T. honey

1/3-1/2 c. powdered milk

1 T. wheat germ or wheat bran (optional)

1 envelope unflavored gelatin (optional)

Stir everything together, adding just enough powdered milk to make a firm (but not dry) dough. Use for edible play dough or roll into balls for convenient snacking. Store in the refrigerator.

This post is in honor Liesel, who is about to turn one, and her peanut butter-loving mom. I guess one is the magical age when peanut butter is suddenly o.k. for infants. Happy birthday, Liesel!

Catching up

2011-11-13T19:53:00.007-07:00

It's been an eventful week in Oklahoma:

huge rainstorm (2 or 3 inches overnight)
a 5.6 earthquake (Alvin burst in the room after it was over and said, "Did you feel that?! That was probably a 5-point-something!")
a tornado

Fortunately, the rest of October and November have been pretty mild. In fact, this evening we went for a walk in the dark in our t-shirts. I guess we're still used to Utah's chilly autumn weather.

I didn't really anticipate how much this move would disrupt our lives. Now that we've been here for a few months, I can look back and see some progress. I found a gym with a swimming pool and "Kid's Korner." I'm learning people's names in our ward, which I love. I've met some other young moms who I've really clicked with, and Miles is making friends with their kids. I got a Joy School going with 4 little boys - every Monday morning Miles gets to go to a new house and play with new toys. We've found good parks, a Science Museum with trains, grocery stores besides Walmart, and midwives and hospital to deliver this new baby.

Alvin likes his new job . . . up to eight hours a day. Unfortunately he works much more than that. On the weekends, in the middle of the night, on Sunday mornings. His company Chesapeake has acquired quite the reputation around here. Everyone seems to know that they treat their employees well with benefits and perks, but they also make them work. Geologists especially have a high turnover because they just get burned out. Alvin copes by doing yard work on the weekends. The other Saturday I heard him out in the yard grunting and saying, "HEH! HEH! HEH!" I looked out the window, and I saw this redhead in the forest with his shirt off, hacking at the trees with his machete! Don't get me wrong, I appreciate his hard work, but I really wished he could focus his effort inside our fence. He said, "I'm cleaning up the forest. Doesn't it look so much better?"

We are also working on the inside of our house. I think we go to Lowe's or Home Depot once or twice a week. This is challenging and stressful. I keep wishing my dad was around so I could ask him things like, how do you change out light switches and power outlets? How do you repair stained wood without sanding and refinishing it? Should I buy the entire toilet repair kit or just the flapper? Does carpet go below or next to the base boards? Everywhere I look, I notice things that need to be fixed or updated. Being pregnant makes things worse because it restricts my mobility and energy and puts a deadline on our big projects. Next time we buy a house, it's going to be nice, updated, and ready to live in. I'm thinking now that a nicer house that costs more is definitely better than a cheaper house that needs work.

Here are some pictures we salvaged from our broken camera:

From the roof. Notice the toys our kind neighbor lent to Miles and the trees Alvin trimmed. He did a great job, and he enjoyed spending the day climbing and sawing.
Here's me digging some angel food cake out the pan. It is nice to have a house-sized kitchen instead of an apartment-sized kitchen. There is space in the cupboards for all my appliances and dishes. Alvin hates the back splash, but I don't mind it. I just don't like the cupboards. What do you think?
Alvin wanted me to include this picture of the living room, even though that's not our furniture.

This was from Alvin's birthday. Miles put in the candles and helped light them. Well, he lit one or two before we took over.
Smoke from 33 candles!

Well, if I don't end up blogging for awhile again, here are our plans:

November: finish painting and carpeting our house

December 2-6: fly to Utah for my sister's wedding

December 16: estimated due date for Miles' baby brother. Hopefully he's not born as late as Miles (11 days)!

Settling In

2011-09-20T20:15:00.003-06:00

Here are a few pics from our new life in Oklahoma.We found a house, and hopefully it will be ours next week. Crazy. I don't feel old enough to be buying a house and making all the grown-up decisions related to home buying. It will be fun to have our own place, a back yard and trees, and a big project to work on. It was built in 1979, and no one seems to have done any updates, except for granite counter tops in the kitchen, which Alvin the rock man thinks are ugly.

Aside from the counters, Alvin is very pleased with the house. I think he liked it from the get-go because 1) the dining/living room reminds him of his family cabin, and 2) it backs up to some of the only wooded open space in residential Oklahoma City. He has big plans to build a trail from our back yard to the park just beyond the woods.

Here's Miles riding a rhino at the zoo. The zoo is lovely, but of course it is outdoors and Oklahoma had a record-breaking heat streak this summer (temperatures over 110 degrees every day from June to September). We wanted to go to the zoo, so we went a Saturday morning as soon as it opened. It was still pretty hot. The shade and occasional air-conditioned buildings helped.

Miles took this picture of his trains. I think the composition and lighting show promise! Yes, he still loves trains. Visitors to our apartment always remark on the plethora of train illustrations taped to the wall. Miles loves to direct Alvin and me in drawing trains, especially green steam engines. He won't let us stop until we've drawn the cowcatcher, tracks and smoke.

I don't have a great picture of me yet, but for an update, I cut my hair, which apparently was a good move, because lots of Oklahoma women have short hair. (Poor Alvin really prefers long hair, but I feel so liberated that I don't have plans to grow it out in the near future.) I'm buying maternity clothes again to accommodate my six-month belly. I really love our new ward - the moms have done a stellar job at inviting me to events and including me and Miles in play groups. I think a lot of people here don't have many relatives close by, so the ward really becomes your family. We've had dinners and watched football games with new friends here.

Hopefully Alvin will give y'all an update on his new job (which included a Blackberry and many opportunities to use it during the night and on weekends).

For your viewing pleasure

2011-09-05T20:00:00.002-06:00

Life is good here in Oklahoma. Laura and Miles are doing well. Work is keeping me plenty busy...lots to learn. I'll have a post with pics soon...but here are some fun videos in the meantime.

Crazy Base Jump/Wing Suit Video (Jeb Corliss Grinding The Crack)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWfph3iNC-k&feature=player_embedded#!

Funny Romney/Mormon Colbert Video

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/394360/august-10-2011/yaweh-or-no-way----mormons---god-s-poll-numbers

Last hurrah in Utah. Destination: Fairview

2011-08-07T12:33:00.005-06:00

After packing up our apartment and sending our belongings to Oklahoma in three little U-Haul storage containers, we took a trip to Fairview to hang out at the Anderson cabin and see the demolition derby.

Alvin, according to Laura: The Fairview Demolition Derby is probably the best in the state. Have you ever seen a bunch of old, windowless cars drive around in a dirt arena, crashing into each other, trying to be the last vehicle that can move? If you haven't, then you haven't lived. The hot sun nearly blinds your view, and the deafening revving engines muffle all conversation, but this is the time of your life. Only 5 heats before a winner is declared? Too bad, but the fireworks after the show will be amazing, too.

Laura: The kettle corn is good, but how much longer until I can unplug my ears and go home to bed? I can't believe this thing is sold out. Did you see that booth selling fried pickles, fried cookie dough, and fried Oreos?

Miles: Cars crash de-mo-li-shun der-bee! In dirt! Ta-tees (tractors) come take cars away!

Being at the cabin was lovely - not too hot, fields of summer flowers, and even a little snow left over from winter. Miles' cousins had so much fun entertaining him that I got to finish my book, Born to Run. Great read - I'd never even wanted to run a marathon before, but now I'm convinced I could put "run an ultra" on my list of life goals.

Yeah, we moved to Oklahoma

2011-08-07T12:28:00.003-06:00

This is the snippet I wrote for the Anderson family annual newsletter:

Alvin and Laura Anderson Family News

August 2011

This year has brought big changes for our family.

The beginning of the year found us living in Cottonwood Heights, Utah. Alvin, the geologist, worked at TerraTek, an oil service company in Salt Lake City. Laura, the mom, hung out with Miles, the train-loving two-year-old, and worked part-time from home as an actuary. Alvin spent several months applying to schools across the county in hopes of returning to academia, obtaining his Ph.D. in geology and becoming a university professor. Alvin visited graduate schools in Pittsburgh, North Carolina, and Indiana, while the real application-filler-outer stayed home with Miles.

Late one night while Alvin was desperately trying to decide which, if any, school to attend, he found and filled out an application for a geologist job in industry. Well, he got the job and decided to take it, and we just arrived in Oklahoma City, where we will be living for the next few years. Alvin’s working at Chesapeake Energy, an oil and natural gas company. Miles and Laura are trying to survive the record heat (it’s been in the 100’s since June) and wishing we had some mountains to escape to.

We’re all looking forward to an exciting Christmas present this year – a baby boy! Any ideas for his name??

Unstable air

2011-07-31T16:34:00.003-06:00

So Miles thinks he has a baby in his tummy, too.

This week I was riding the airplane with him to Oklahoma City when we hit some turbulence. After a big drop, Miles grabbed the chair with a surprised look on his face. I said, "That was the airplane going up and down. Did you feel it in your tummy?"

With eyes wide, he nodded and, pointing to his tummy, said, "Baby sad!"

It's a . . .

2011-07-19T17:55:00.003-06:00

Looks like we're getting a baby boy for Christmas this year!

Redwood Forests

2011-07-17T16:03:00.006-06:00

You know that lovely picture of a misty forest that’s been tucked away at the bottom of our blog for ages? Alvin took that on his trip to Redwood National Park about 5 years ago. Last week I finally got to see the trees in person. Amazing and beautiful.

Alvin and I spent 4 days in California near the border of Oregon touring the state and national parks that boast 300-plus-foot redwood giants. The temperature was ideal – between 55 and 65 night and day. We hiked through the trees, did scenic drives, relaxed at bed and breakfasts, read, and played at the beach.

My sister Amber was gracious enough to stay home with Miles for the 4 days. This was my first trip without him since he was born! Okay, so I was worried about being gone for so long, and by day 3 I wished we were on our way home to see him. But he really was fine. (But for a few days when we go back, he seemed to have forgotten who is the boss.) About a month ago, I started telling Miles bedtime stories about how me and dad were going to fly in the airplane to California and Amber was going to stay at our house and take Miles to nursery. I think it helped! When Amber asked him where we were, he said, “California.” And she wore him out with fun activities – riding the train at the zoo, playing at the park, and meet boyfriends’ nieces and nephews. (Yes, I meant to put the apostrophe after the ‘s.’)

Here's a picture of Alvin climbing the massive roots of a fallen tree:

The trip wasn’t completely without child because . . . I am with child. (Hee, hee.) You can see a 4-month bump in the picture below. Pregnancy really takes a toll on my energy level - we did an easy 6-mile ramble through the woods on the first day, and the rest of the trip I could barely get one foot in front of the other!

This is Miles camping in Fairview Canyon. Alvin took him overnight up to the cabin for the 4th of July, and they loved it! Alvin came home and said, "And when it was time for bed, Miles said, 'Okay, Dad,' and went right to sleep." I asked what time that would have been. "Oh, ten or ten-thirty," Alvin admitted. No wonder he slept well!

Red-letter Day

2011-06-29T14:00:00.003-06:00

Miles loves trains. He
points out the tank cars, hopper cars, and "hmoke" in train picture books,
spends hours laying on the floor moving his engine, car, and caboose along their tracks,
knows where to spot train bridges when we drive down the freeway,
watches library DVDs about trains,
asks me to sing train songs (I know 3 and will make up more on request),
asks me to build trains in the sand and draw them on the sidewalk, and
rides TRAX and goes with Alvin to watch freight trains.

I get the biggest kick when Miles asks to color. That means he wants to hand me markers and tell me to draw the engine, cars, wheels, "cup-lahs" (couplers), and caboose. Then he carries the completed illustration around - in the car, to bed, next to his plate at the table.

How can we help but feed his fascination by finding iPod apps with trains, taking him to play with the train toys at Grandma's house, and ...
visiting Golden Spike National Historic Site? The two-hour drive was worth it - he saw two old steam engines coming down the tracks, whistling, clanging their bells, and puffing steam and smoke.
Miles clings to his souvenir postcards, and he even found a page in a library book featuring one of the trains we saw. He points it out with great pride.
On the way home from Promontory Point, we stopped at the International Peace Gardens at Jordan Park. Miles found a little house just his size in the Swiss garden, and he wasted no time hopping around plants and bushes to make his way up the little stairs.

You'll Never Know, Dear . . .

2011-06-16T14:42:00.003-06:00

Alvin has been putting Miles to bed lately. Lucky Miles gets a good long bedtime routine:

brush teeth
practice sitting on the potty
diaper and jammies on
story
recite the First Article of Faith
prayer
song

Miles asked Alvin to sing the train song, which Alvin doesn't know, so he made one up: You Are My Sunshine with a few key words like train, coming down the tracks, and honk. I love listening to Alvin improvise! This is the best part of my day.

Last night, Alvin went to the grocery store to pick up some things for his Ragnar Relay this weekend. (Good luck on those 15 uphill miles!) So I put Miles to bed. When it came time to sing a song, I told him I'd sing the train song. He asked for something, and had to repeat it four or five times before I finally understood: "Train Sunshine." He wanted me to sing Alvin's Train Sunshine song! I had a great time trying to make up my own version.

Spring Recap

2011-06-13T00:57:00.015-06:00

April 29: We drove to St. George and Las Vegas. Here's a clip of the Bellagio fountains.

May 7: My sister got married. She had a 40's-themed reception with an ice cream bar, photo booth, and bridesmaids in period dresses.

Once Miles discovered the old loader parked outside, not even the ice cream could bring him back in to the reception.

May 18: Went outside on a sunny day to enjoy the Royal Farms pond and ate dinner at a park.

Will he go for it?

Of course!

May 28: Alvin's BYU roommate Logan was in town with his family. Brennan, 2 1/2, and Miles hit it off immediately. We went on a 2 year old-paced hike in Ferguson Canyon.

Translation, please

2011-05-17T12:51:00.002-06:00

Miles has been saying this lately:
"Look high deed!"
Alvin finally figured out that it means, "Look what I did!"

The other day, Alvin asked Miles how many fingers were on his hand. Miles held out his hand, pointed to each finger, saying, "Dee, dee, dee . . ." When he was finished counting, he turned to us and said, "Eight!" I burst out laughing. I've never even heard him say the number "eight" before.

Springtime

2011-05-14T12:14:00.002-06:00

Our kind neighbors invited us to an Easter Egg Hunt. The mom in charge said she was trying to make up for her childhood disappointment of never being quick enough to find many eggs. In this hunt, you don't have to be quick - you just need eyes and legs.
Miles put two eggs in his basket, then he wanted to go play on the swingset. Alvin helped him collect a few more (and has been helping him eat the candy, too).
The last hurrah with Ella, Miles' best friend. She moved to Chicago two weeks ago, but Miles still asks if she can come over. We took him to see her empty apartment and explained that she moved to a new home. He stood looking through the window, very quiet, for a long time.
My new bike! Can I say how much I love road biking?!? The speed, the wind on your skin, ahhh. I'm still getting used to the clipless pedals. Fortunately I've tipped over on BOTH sides of the bike so the scuffs on the seat and handlebars are symmetrical. So were the bruises on my hips.
Miles is ready to go! But where will he need my scriptures, shoes, AND his Cars DVD?

Life Goes On

2011-04-17T11:16:00.005-06:00

We decided. Alvin is not going to school this year. It was a difficult decision to say the least. Ultimately, the decision came down to the research projects. The schools that accepted him would have involved research projects that were not a good fit for Alvin's interests and career path. So he turned them down.

We will be staying in or near Salt Lake and Alvin will continue working at his current job, which he likes. We are looking forward to having the time and money to enjoy hobbies, family, and travel. We feel good about the decision. And now we get to once again decide what we want for our future. Lots to look forward to and plenty of possibilities. One possibility...after hearing about Alvin's decision to not attend Purdue, a professor there sent Alvin an encouraging email. He said to keep in touch - he's requesting funding for a project next year that Alvin would really enjoy.

Decisions, decisions

2011-04-02T13:40:00.006-06:00

After a busy winter of filling out college applications, Skyping with potential advisors, and flying across the country to visit universities, Alvin is ready to decide which school to attend for his PhD in geology.

Schools which have accepted Alvin:

Purdue University

University of Pittsburgh

University of North Carolina

Schools which Alvin would like to attend:

University of Colorado

Oregon State University

Dartmouth

Another option that we started discussing a week ago is this: not going to school at all. Alvin is already qualified for excellent geology-related jobs in industry. These positions pay very well, have increasing demand, and offer reasonable work hours. That option is very alluring, especially after finding out more about the academia option.

A PhD takes 5 years to complete, most graduates do a 2-3 year post-doc, and the availability of tenure-track faculty positions is declining rapidly. Alvin has talked to current PhD students who work 50-70 hours a week for a paltry $20,000 annual stipend. Why would we do that when the job competition at the end of that path is so steep? Even if he were to find a job teaching at a college or university, he would have to work extremely hard to obtain tenure. You've heard it: publish or perish.

Academia is not without its allure. A tenured professor enjoys job flexibility, variety of work, teaching, travel for field work, sabbatical every 7 years, and working with interesting, intelligent, driven people.

We have until April 15 to decide. What should we do???

What's more important than blogging these days

2011-03-20T16:23:00.003-06:00

Tales from Joy School, Part 1

2011-01-26T13:25:00.007-07:00

These two kids were born on February 21, 2009. Their mommies thought they would love going to each other's house for Joy School (a term they use loosely since the curriculum is actually from Brightly Beaming). The kids play, do art projects and action songs, and learn fun things, like shapes, colors, letters, and animals. Miles likes to show Ella his battery-powered cars and how to jump on the bed. Ella can sing songs and likes to ask for cheese. Their favorite games are London Bridge and Ring Around the Rosy.

Tales from Joy School, Part 2

2011-01-26T12:58:00.006-07:00

Yesterday Miles and his friend Ella were playing in the living room while I was getting a snack in the kitchen. I heard a crash. Is that ever good? Well, it wasn't too bad. Ella, fascinated by a bookend, had picked it up, and the books had tipped over and slipped to the floor.

Here is the bookend. Alvin got it from an artist in Jerusalem who catered to Mormon tourists.

After Ella handed it over, I showed it to the kiddies. "Who is this?" I asked. "She-she [Jesus]," said Miles. "No, this is Joseph Smith." Just as I launched into my explanation about how Joseph Smith was a prophet who saw Jesus, Miles reached out, grabbed the statue's nose, and said, "Onk!"

Compass

2011-01-11T12:57:00.006-07:00

Every night we put Miles to bed with his head on his pillow and tuck his blanket into the bed. (Incidentally, the head of his bed pointed north.) His alignment doesn't change much until morning when he gets up. But . . . three days ago I moved his bed to another wall in the room. Since then, every night when we check on Miles before we go to bed, we have found him rotated 90 degrees, his entire body beneath the tucked-in blanket. Curious!

After two nights of worrying about the oxygen level beneath the blanket, we stripped the bed and dressed Miles in two pajamas. He slept very well last night.

Goodbye, 2010

2011-01-07T13:55:00.003-07:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Lest you think this the perfect picture, here was take one:

Christmas is lovely, but there sure is a lot to do. Brave traffic, parking lots, and lines in stores. Plan and purchase or make presents. Order gifts online. Cook carrot butter for friends and neighbors. Find the perfect baguette to accompany the carrot butter. Go to family parties. Go to work parties. Go to friend parties. By the time Christmas day arrives, we just sit back and breathe a sigh of relief.

Despite our activity-filled schedule, or maybe because of it, we shared some memorable times.

Miles decorated and redecorated our lovely tree a throughout December.
Alvin was the most dashing (and most sober) redhead at his TerraTek party at the Park City Marriott.
My whole-wheat rolls were a hit at the ward Christmas party.
My sister got engaged.
Alvin finished an oral history of his parents and gave a copy to all his siblings.
My high-school friends (and their husbands and babies) came to town.
We ate our traditional, simple Bethlehem supper on Christmas Eve.
We played games with Alvin's brother and a neighbor after Miles went to bed.
My parents drove from St. George and opened presents with us Christmas morning.
Miles perfected his wide-eyed excited expression while opening his presents - he loved the candy and the shirt with Lightning McQueen.
I ate pecan pie to my heart's content.
Alvin went snowshoing with his dad.
Alvin and I went snowshoing with my boss and his wife.
We went to dinner with my sisters, parents, and uncle.
Alvin arranged for a babysitter for Miles on New Year's Eve. Miles almost had his first sleepover ever at Grandma's house, but we ended up taking him home with us at 1:00 am.
Almost daily, we watched Miles gorilla-jump off the couch.

December was a pretty fantastic finish to a good year.

Thanks, Kirsten

2011-01-07T13:29:00.009-07:00

One of my favorite Christmas presents came from a cousin, of all people, this year. She scanned all the photos in one of my dad's old scrapbooks, saved them to a CD, and gave copies to everyone at our Cannon family Christmas party. Almost half of the pictures were of ancestors - family history was my dad's vocation, avocation, and everything in between.
This is my great-grandfather, Spencer. I think Miles looks like him. And this is Claire, probably a great-aunt. She's pretty.

This is Lorenzo Snow and the First Presidency. Alvin likes to mention to new acquaintances that George Q. Cannon (left) is my great-great-great grandfather. I inherited his eyes, but not his prestige.

Christmas Star

2010-12-12T21:05:00.002-07:00

Alvin, Miles, and I went to our ward Christmas dinner Saturday night, and we really enjoyed ourselves. Miles ran around the chairs and tables with the other little kids, and we only lost him twice. The second time he appeared on stage during the serious Christmas program. He stood there while the audience chuckled and while I waited for Alvin to appear and grab him. Unfortunately, Alvin was in the halls looking for Miles. I had to make my way through the audience, jump up on the stage, and chase him down.

After the program, many ward members complimented Miles on his star performance and said it was the best part of the program. The ward clerk said it was the best Christmas program in years, thanks to Miles. What a debut for our little boy!

FHE

2010-12-07T15:42:00.002-07:00

Alvin taught a lovely Family Home Evening lesson last night on family prayer. Miles has a select vocabulary, but Alvin helped him to say the closing prayer anyway. Here’s a snippet. Note Alvin’s attempt to include words Miles can say.

Alvin: Help us . . .
Miles: Uh.
Alvin: to eat apples.
Miles: Uh. (He must not have been in the mood to say apple. Now Alvin's going to try a word he knows Miles loves.)
Alvin: Help us . . .
Miles: Uh.
Alvin: to play the iPod.
Miles: A-men!

Proud

2010-11-23T21:31:00.008-07:00

Today Alvin asked Miles to bring him a tissue to wipe his nose. Miles looked at him thoughtfully, ran to his room, then ran back, carrying . . . his shoes. He was pretty sure he had gotten it right, so he looked slightly perplexed when Alvin and I laughed. Tissue. Shoe. That's pretty close.

Dear Oma and Papa

2010-11-21T15:51:00.003-07:00

Since this is your first winter in St. George, you must be missing the snow. We had our first "sticking storm" last night - at least 6 inches. If you turn up your air conditioner and hold some ice while you look at these pictures, you might not feel so far away. We went for a chilly walk this morning, and Miles wanted us to brush off every white spec that stuck to his snow suit or boots. He warmed up to it a little when he saw Daddy making snowballs and throwing them at the speed limit sign. He even helped brush some snow off a truck in the parking lot.
He is excited to come see you this week!
Love, Laura
P.S. I sang in church today with Madeline. We sang a duet medley of "Let Zion in Her Beauty Rise" and "Joseph Smith's First Prayer." It went well.

Annual Moab Trip

2010-11-21T15:27:00.003-07:00

Alvin has a couple of treasured friends from college who work for the parks in Moab. They have both married, and, coincidentally, both decided to expand their families this year. Clay and Leslie had a baby boy in September, and Brian and Angela (below) are having a girl any day now. We couldn't resist a visit. And we couldn't resist sharing our wealth of childbirth and parenting advice. Thanks for being such enthusiastic listeners, B&A.
Moab's signature red rock

A few lingering fall colors

Stretching our legs in Arches National Park after the long drive

I'd like to thank Apple for making this most recent trip to Moab not only possible but enjoyable. I'd also like to thank all the writers of puzzle, train, and storybook apps for their invaluable contribution. Miles generally does not like to be confined to his carseat, especially not for a 3 1/2 hour drive. However, with his I-pod touch in his chubby little fingers, he sat quietly exploring games for hours. He's quite adept for a one-year-old. Maybe after a little more practice (on the upcoming drive to St. George, for instance), he can teach Oma how to use her I-pad.

A couple old crows

2010-10-31T21:58:00.006-06:00

Who could refuse an invitation to let loose with some creativity and dress up as something fantastical? I found a homemade scarecrow costume in Miles' size at a consignment sale, and I couldn't resist buying it.

But thinking of complementary costumes for Alvin and me was tricky. Luckily, my friend had this great idea - we could be crows. She even pointed me to directions for making an elegant crow costume. I read them, and I started getting this tingly, excited, crafty feeling. It reminded me of when I was younger (like middle-school age) and went to the library to find origami or knitting books.

So I headed to the craft store, strapped Miles to my back, and resurrected the pacifer. (I had a feeling Miles might not appreciate being tied out of reach from all the interesting things he might have touched.) A bag full of black feathers, felt, and fabric later, I left the store. I followed Martha Stewart's directions for my costume, then, since my right brain was all warmed up, I winged it (hee, hee) for Alvin's costume. Although I have to give credit to Martha for the crow/raven eyes on his hat, which are hard to see in the picture.

We won the "Most likely to fly away to Neverland" award at Alvin's family Halloween party.

Happy Birthday!

2010-10-31T21:42:00.004-06:00

October 18th. Alvin is a wonderful guy. He keeps me from being too serious and anti-social. He keeps Miles from being deprived of sugar. We love him, especially his red hair! Feliz cumpleanos!
Miles was tickled that I wanted him to push the candles in the cake.
Alvin fell in love with this picture, "Venice Stackables," when he saw it for sale at a farmer's market. He kept talking about buying it, so I finally got it for his birthday. I love it, too. See more by the same artist here.

Toddler dictionary

2010-10-31T21:14:00.009-06:00

Miles isn't quite as advanced as Ella (also 20 months old), who can sing the ABCs and give an intelligible rendition of nearly every object in her sight, but he is finally emerging from his non-verbal toddlerhood. That is exciting for us.

Miles says the following words:

I-paw (This is his greeting to Alvin when he gets home from work: "Hi fun parent who lets me use the I-pod!")

wawa (water)

gah-gah (tiger)

ball

boppydah (we don't know what it means, but love how it rolls off our tongues when we repeat it)

nana (banana)

g'bah (granola bar)

Elllla

Maaaamaaa!

mon! (C'mon)

Dada (Miles lays in bed repeating this, and Alvin has a hard time resisting

Ammer (Aunt Amber)

Aanh (depending on the context and the direction his finger is pointing, this could mean "I want to watch Thomas the Tank Engine," "I want some Halloween candy," or "I want to nurse.")

Miles is the most compliant when we say the following words:

Do you want to cook?

Do you want to take a bath?

Do you want to go for a bike ride?

Miles is the least compliant when we say the following words:

Let's go brush your teeth.

You can't play with the camera right now.

10 Years Later . . .

2010-10-10T22:09:00.005-06:00

Friday night was my ten-year high school reunion. In the days leading up to it, I thought, “What will I tell people about myself? What are some of the most noteworthy things I have done or that have happened since we attended Bingham High together?” I started making a list in my mind, and I realized that some of the most important things in my life happened during those ten years following high school graduation:

I went to college at BYU and majored in mathematics.
I lived in France and Alaska.
I went on a mission to New Jersey and learned Spanish.
My dad died from cancer.
My mother remarried, and I became part of a step-family.
I married Alvin.
I became an actuary.
I gave birth to a baby boy.

Alvin says this is evidence that I graduated from being a nerd. (By the way, I was never a nerd.) Alvin also says that 10 years have been good to me, particularly in my hairstyle. (He never liked the pictures from my senior year at BHS featuring my super-short pixie cut.)

Anderson Cabin Swing

2010-10-07T12:54:00.003-06:00

They really should make people sign a waiver before they ride this thing.

Reasons why September is my favorite time of year to go to Alvin's family cabin in Fairview Canyon:

1. It's not too hot.

2. There are no other people there, so you can have your own room and not worry if your baby cries in the middle of the night.

3. The water hasn't been turned off yet for the season, so you don't have to use the outhouse.

4. It's still too early for snow, so you can still drive right up to the front door. In the winter, you park on the road, snowshoe 1/2 mile while dragging your sleeping bags and gear on a sled, then dig out the front door.

5. Look at those autumn leaves!

Oh, the cleverness of me

2010-10-07T12:49:00.002-06:00

Pirate Party

2010-10-07T12:34:00.006-06:00

Don't you love the skulls? We kept the box of decorations in our living room before the party, and Miles would gingerly pull open the flap, take a gander at the pirate skull, and say in a low voice, "Ohhh!"

The party even featured some palm reading from an experienced gypsy. Thanks, Julie.

The beauties . . .

And the wastrels.

Arrr, ye scalawags!

2010-09-18T16:06:00.003-06:00

The 19th of September be International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Don't be hesitatin' to check out this here glossary to brush up on yer pirate lingo. And here be some clues to lead ye mateys to the plunder we pillaged! (Pirate party summons by Madeline. Ain't she a beauty?)

Hoist the warning of pillage to come.
The sight of me will make land-lubbers run!

Fill ye tankards here, ye dogs.
And don’t be wishing it were GROG.

For vittles and drink, here we’ll gather . . .
Unless to the yardarm or keelhaul you’d rather!

Hang from my lumber the rigging and sails;
I’ll keep you from those fearsome whales.

Beauties and wenches will enter one door.
Mateys and wastrels, the other, fer sure!

It’s dark and dank, like the sty of a pig.
This foul storage is worse than the BRIG!

We ship out to sea at a future date.
Your order will come to a box by the gate.

The trusty plank is destined for
This funeral pire . . . or the shore!

Land ho! Ye scalawags, steer clear of these,
Or our ship will be dashed, and you’ll fall to yer knees.

(The internet, though fair she be, was sorely lackin' in clues to me treasure. So I took me ink, and jotted these down. Perhaps yer brains will be tellin' ye what they mean.)

First Flight

2010-09-11T20:34:00.004-06:00

That's me hanging from that paraglider! I went last Tuesday on a tandem flight, and it was amazing! We launched at the Point of the Mountain North Flight Park. Everyone there was totally chill - it must have been the evening sun, gentle breeze, and great view of the Salt Lake valley. My instructor had just flown from Ferguson Canyon to the Point! I had no idea paragliders could go that far.

We strapped our harnesses on, spread out the glider in the grass, walked forward to pull the wing in the air, and then we were off the ground. The idea is to glide around, feel the wind, and when you fly through an updraft, start turning to stay in it, and slowly spiral upwards. We gained nearly 1200 feet. Intriguing.

It was so relaxing just floating through the air, seeing the houses and cars and mountain far below in that evening sun. The best part of the 45 minute flight was our descent - we did some "wing overs" where you swing side to side, and then you start spiraling downward.

Alvin was so kind to watch Miles (and me) from the flight park below. He's already done a tandem flight, so he didn't feel like he was missing too much. Miles had a ball at the park - the chill attitude must have been catching. Maybe he was as entranced as I was at the big, vibrant gliders inflating in the breeze.

I would definitely recommend paragliding - or even just go hang out at the flight park and watch the paragliders set up and take off.

Summer Fun

2010-08-29T21:13:00.014-06:00

We love summer! Too bad there's only 3 weeks left. Here are a few photos from some of our summer activities.

The cabin in Fairview Canyon is always a lot of fun.

Laura and Miles on the cabin swing. Laura went off the platform for the first time and loved it. She's scared of heights but you would'nt know it by looking at her...she's even going paragliding in a couple of days.

Miles LOVES throwing rocks in water and would do it all day if we let him.

Miles doin' a little slack-lining...gotta start 'em young right?

Snowbird in the summertime.

Had to include some geology right?

We saw a nature-style documentary on babies the other day and I've decided that Miles thrives best in a habitat with plentiful rocks, water, and sticks.

He looks innocent...but don't let him fool you.

Miles' best photo yet.

Stuart flying my kite from the top of Notch Peak.

Pioneer Day!

2010-07-25T14:53:00.006-06:00

Alvin and I ran in the Deseret News 10k yesterday. 43:49 and 48:17. The downhill course made for a fast, energizing race, and during the last mile, I waved at my cousins who were camped along the parade route. I'm not sure if they recognized me.

Alvin trained by running twice during the week before the race, and resting a lot. :) If I had been smart about my training, I would have increased my weekly running mileage to include some 6-milers starting a month ago. Unfortunately, we just decided to race a week ago. Consequently, my legs HURT today.

But it was so fun to race, we are thinking of doing the Skyline 10k. We'll be at the Anderson cabin down the street for a reunion, so it will be perfect.

We finished the day with a barbecue at Alvin's sister's house. I swallowed a quip for not bringing any meat with some delicious black bean-jicama-jalapeno salad. The evening shade and damp cool grass were elixir to my race- and summer-weary body. Plus it was so fun to watch Miles explore all his cousins' toys: swingset, trampoline, battery-driven jeep, sandbox, tetherball. He loved them all and was so absorbed that I could relax, eat, and enjoy some adult conversation.

Daniel Dean and Mom

2010-07-18T22:56:00.010-06:00

My grandpa passed away a few weeks ago. I'm glad my grandpa was such a great man. I am especially glad that he brought my mom into this world. My mom is surely one of the greatest people on earth!My grandpa flew the Grumann TBF Torpedo Bomber for the U.S. Navy. He received his wings in July 1945 just as Japan announced its unconditional surrender. I'm glad the war ended when it did or this blog or me or this poorly diagrammed sentence may never have existed...

My mom and her parents. I never met my grandmother...she died of cancer in her 40's. However, my mom has told great things about her. Grandpa went on to graduate with a Master's Degree from Cornell and work in labor relations and management.

Mom, Aunt Sally...sweet car

Nice catch mom! Who knew mom could fish?

The Cirque of the Towers

2010-07-18T19:24:00.018-06:00

Here are a few pictures from the land northward. Which reminds me . . . has anyone ever seen the movie Lost in the Barrens? It's a definite classic. Anyway back to the pics, my brother Stuart and I headed north for Independence Day weekend. We hiked to the Cirque of the Towers in the Wind River Range, then headed to the Tetons, Yellowstone, and on to Island Park for a little fishing. We stopped by Angela and Brian's place in Teton National Park. It was great to catch up . . . and Brian even made some tasty quesadillas. Life is good!

This first picture is the view from Brian and Angela's yard . . . not bad (it's Teewinot).

Toddler Tabling

2010-06-30T21:38:00.002-06:00

Or would you call it "chairing?"

Moved in and back to our hiking escapades

2010-06-13T16:40:00.014-06:00

Ferguson Canyon - our new favorite trail.

After assembling a new kitchen table and waiting a month for a couch to arrive, we finally feel more settled in our new place in Cottonwood Heights. The move was a great opportunity to unpack and use some 3-year-old wedding gifts, read and try some decorating advice from Alvin's sister's blog, and let Miles graduate to sleeping in his own bedroom.

Things I love about our new home:

a ward with lots of young families like us
proximity to Big Cottonwood Canyon (I stuff Miles in the backpack and go hiking a couple mornings a week)
we don't have to do yardwork! But we smile and wave at the grounds crew everyday when they drive around in their golf carts.
the Cottonwood Heights Recreation Center. It has 5 swimming pools and a couple acceptable yoga instructors. I don't think anyone can compare to the yoga instructor at our old gym; she was unsurpassably amazing.

Things Miles loves about this area:

~ climbing in parked golf carts
~ pointing at robins on the lawn and in trees
~ parks with swings
~ a neighbor who is only 30 minutes younger than him (but she can already touch her nose, eyes, and mouth and give kisses)

Things Alvin loves about this area:

the beautiful mansions in nearby neighborhoods
the freeway entrance is 2 minutes away, so his work is 10 minutes closer
a new friend who shares his last name and hair color
the plethora of pinecones on our sidewalks, which are useful for throwing at the basketball hoop, which greatly amuses Miles

P.S. We also recently hiked Notch Peak near Delta, Utah, heard Peter Breiholt perform at the Brigham Young park, and went to Ashley Ross's wedding. My highschool friend is now Mrs. Jason Eldredge.

Miles with cousins Mallory, Avery, and Sophia (aren't her natural ringlets precious?)

Miles in his element

Little Cottonwood Creek Floods

2010-06-13T16:31:00.004-06:00

The Little Cottonwood creek reached record highs this spring due to a cool, rainy May and a couple hot days in June. It flooded several houses and parks in Murray and took out a trail bridge in Little Cottonwood canyon. We spent Family Night checking out the raging, chocolatey water.

Imagine the "thunk, thunk, thunk" of huge granite boulders clonking into each other beneath the watery torrent above. I held Miles' hand very tightly while we walked along the trail.

We're moving!

2010-04-04T12:39:00.002-06:00

As you may know, we have been living in my mother's house with my sisters, Amber and Jeni. Three weeks ago my mom emailed us and said, "Clean up the house because I'm having a realtor come to take pictures tomorrow." She has been known to give sudden, dramatic announcements. Two weeks later, after a dozen showings (for each one I had to tidy up the house, collect myself and Miles, and leave the grounds for an hour), two buyers made offers, my mom accepted, and the deal will close April 27.

Now I have inserted the following into my already-busy daily routine: apartment hunting, throwing away old papers, packing, slating items for DI, and trying to talk Alvin out of saving the items slated for DI. Fortunately, as of yesterday, I can cross off apartment hunting from my list. We found a lovely 2-bedroom near Big Cottonwood Canyon. We're excited to move because we can ditch my sister's pets, Alvin's commute to work will be quick, we will be minutes away from hiking trailheads, and the Whole Foods store is within walking distance.

But what should I do with our big piano?

This is what Miles does at Oma & Papa's house

2010-03-27T13:25:00.002-06:00

Who taught him to rock out like this? It's a mystery.

Do I fit?

2010-03-21T21:37:00.002-06:00

Miles likes to explore spaces, especially spaces that are about his size. When he climbs into a new place, like a yellow box or magazine rack or the shelf in our bed headboard, he examines how snugly his legs fit inside, then turns to his audience with a big "Look at me!" grin.

More Scenes from Paradise

2010-03-17T20:16:00.010-06:00

This is our happy family at the top of Waimea Canyon, safely avoiding the giant tsunami (which amounted to 3 series of 2-3 inch waves). The clouds are shrouding the Na Pali Coast.

Miles' new swim trunks are still a little big.

Laura, Miles, Alvin, Amber, Jeni (my sisters), Jim (my current dad)

Sand legs built by Alvin.

A Buddhist temple on Oahu. The grounds were serene and beautiful.

Miles can't waddle over the edge of the cliff when he is strapped in the mei tai. These clouds floated up the cliff and drifted across our trail along the whole hike. This was my favorite adventure in Hawaii - the Waimea Canyon/Na Pali Coast overlook hike.

Pineapple at the Dole Plantation (I slept and recovered from jet lag while Alvin drove his Mustang convertible around Oahu and visited the plantation); bamboo graffiti; one of the abundant feral roosters; carniverous rooster-eating fern of Kauai

Ringing the gong before entering the Buddhist temple is said to bring peace and serenity. I think it worked.

Aloha

2010-03-02T23:05:00.005-07:00

20-40 foot (depending on how many times Alvin has recounted the story) waves at Queen's Bath

Surf's up! If you go to Kauai, you should stay at the Kiahuna Plantation condos in Poipu. Isn't our backyard beautiful?

Yeah, winter in Hawaii isn't ideal for swimming.

Near Tunnels Beach. Our last day, sigh. (That's sigh of relief for me. It was amazing to see a new place, and an exotic one at that, but I am devoted to my simple, predictable daily routine at home in South Jordan.)

The lighthouse near Princeville. Refuge to thousands of migratory sea birds that nest on the cliffs.

Miles is one!

2010-02-22T13:44:00.006-07:00

Miles had a happy birthday on February 21. I can't believe he has grown to be one. I gave him a coconut island cake (Alvin's ingenious design) in honor of our upcoming trip to Hawaii.

He loved it.

Yes, we are going to Hawaii for a week. Neither Alvin or I have been before. We'll visit Oahu for the Polynesian Cultural Center, and Kauai for the beautiful hikes and beaches. We're taking Miles and some babysitters - my mom and sisters.

Random January-ness

2010-01-11T22:02:00.019-07:00

The evolution of the beard. Alvin can grow some thick facial hair, but after a couple weeks of the experiment, we both agreed we prefer him facial-hair-less.

Your legs need to grow a few more inches to reach those pedals.

Without occasional visits from Brian and Angela, we would rapidly lose touch with the high-adventure, outdoors-loving crowd. We might also lose perspective and start feeling tall. After a convincing bluff, Ang beat the boys in Ticket to Ride. P.S. Angela, we found a store that carries hook on seats (here's another model).

Miles is starting to walk the walk and strut the strut. Doesn't he look dashing in a tie?

Alvin hosted the BYU Outdoors Club at his family cabin in Fairview Canyon. Here he is packing - with a stowaway.

This is my step-family. Who ever thought I'd be a step-sister? The cute girl in white in the middle is Emma. She just got baptized. The baby hiding behing my head is Luke; he and Miles share a birthday! The baby to the left of Emma is Gabe; he just turned one.

Help! Esau is after me!

A Few Late Christmas Photos

2010-01-11T21:30:00.007-07:00

We had not one, but three decorated trees. A coffee plant that bears no beans, traditional fir, and a Black Pearl pepper plant. All were kept out of Miles' reach. Mostly.

Santa and his Elf

2009-12-13T15:12:00.004-07:00

The holidays are upon us! This is how we're celebrating Christmas this year:

Instead of big gifts for each other, Alvin and I want to donate to charities in behalf of each other. The Global Impact Fund and La Leche League International are potential recipients. Can you guess who chose which?
We'll spend Christmas Eve sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace eating cheese, dates, and flatbread for our traditional "Jerusalem Supper."
I can't wait for my parents' choir concert, especially because the audience gets to join in singing some of the songs. Singing Christmas hymns (accompanied by a real live pipe organ!) is my favorite way to celebrate Jesus' birth. I love "Once in Royal David's City."
Alvin's mom babysat while we went to the TerraTek Christmas party at the Hilton hotel in Salt Lake City. I wore wild black tights and high heels, and Alvin spontaneously pulled out some amazing dance moves.
Don't tell him, but I made Miles a book for his Christmas present. It's a photo album of him, and all the pictures have simple words, like "feet," or "Daddy," or "hike." It was so fun for me to go through all our photos of Miles and see how he has grown. He is almost 10 months old, and he has changed so much! I keep thinking about the raising-a-baby advice my midwife gave me: Don't blink. It goes by so fast! It's true. I sure love Miles, and I love being a mommy.

Halloween

2009-11-20T10:09:00.009-07:00

A punk rocker family for the Anderson party, . . .

. . . and a gypsy and a pumpkin for the TerraTek party.

Semiannual Moab Mecca

2009-10-31T20:34:00.009-06:00

Thanks, Clay and Leslie, for putting us up at your pad. Leslie served us some wickedly delicious granola; I tried her recipe as soon as we got home.

I think Miles was born to be a mountain man. He loved playing with Brian, Clay, Angela, and Leslie, and you don't get more outdoorsy than those four. Plus, Miles has Alvin's genes, so mountain-man-ness is innate.

This Pretty Awesome Guy Had a Birthday Not Too Long Ago

2009-10-31T20:23:00.009-06:00

Happy October 18 Birthday, Alvin.

5 more days in Texas

2009-09-21T09:49:00.003-06:00

Alvin's training is winding to a close, and I've seen most of the museums that interested me. It's been kind of nice being in Houston and living a simple life (simple except for the fine cuisine we've indulged in), but I think we're all ready to reunite with our family and possessions in South Jordan.

Here's a brief summary of our take on Texas, so you'll know what you're getting into if you ever come here:

Things we like about Houston
Eating out
Getting lots of exercise walking everywhere
Shiny skyscrapers
The pool is an elevator ride away
Maids clean our rooms, change our towels, and bring free shampoo
No dog hair on the carpet
Seeing old college geology friends who live here
No commitments; every night is open
Exploring new museums and parks
Ethnic diversity: Middle Eastern, African, Mexican
Feeling free to run the air conditioner all day (it’s included in the hotel tab)
Outlines of the state of Texas on freeways and pies
Talking to interesting people on the buses

Things we miss about South Jordan
Alvin’s pottery (we made some pots in Utah, but had to leave before they were fired)
Driving a car to the grocery store
Putting the groceries in the trunk instead of the bottom of a stroller
Babysitters for Miles
Our garden: zucchini, tomatoes, raspberries, and pears
Miles’ toys and highchair
Wide, even sidewalks that don’t end randomly
Cool, dry Utah September
Mountains and hiking
Wheat grinder and whole wheat bread
Yoga classes
The temple

More Adventures in Houston

2009-09-21T09:20:00.009-06:00

Someone is going to grow up to be a geologist

Maddie, Miles, Laura, Sydnie at Brazos Bend State Park

Is it a 20 lb sack of potatoes?

No . . . it's a sack of baby!

Meet Mr. Albino Aligator

This color-changing tunnel connects two buildings of the Museum of Fine Art

King Miles riding in the wagon at the zoo. Princess Whitnie was kind enough to share her link toys.

Galveston Island

2009-09-19T06:02:00.008-06:00

Despite the rain, Saturday we drove an hour south of Houston to Galveston to swim in the Gulf of Mexico and see the damage from last year's Hurricane Ike. There's even a town named "Alvin" on the way.

Miles loved the beach! He sat in the shallow waves, happily splashing the water and eating salty sand. We tried to limit his intake, but he is one determined kid!

I'm glad the car rental price included vacuuming up our sand!

Laughing

2009-09-05T17:57:00.003-06:00

Miles now laughs on cue if we . . .

. . . slap the ground,

. . . bounce a ball,

. . . squeeze his tummy,

. . . do "Five Little Monkeys."

2009-09-05T17:25:00.006-06:00

Miles is quite the attraction here in Houston. Strangers are always telling us how cute he is.
"He looks like he was carved out of a block of cream cheese."
"He's cuter than the Gerber baby. You should put him in modeling."
"I could eat those thighs for dinner!"
"He looks like a Viking. A Viking baby with those blue eyes and blonde
hair."
"He'll be the only kid in gym class with that name." (I didn't think Miles was that unusual.)
And they're are amazed at how big he is for 6 months. 20 lbs, I'd guess. I just say, "Wait 'till you see his thighs!"

A Tour of Houston

2009-09-05T16:35:00.011-06:00

Schlumberger sent Alvin to Houston for a 6-week class on oil resevoir characterization, so Miles and I tagged along. To Houston, not the class. The worst part is the heat\humidity combination, but the best part is the hotel housekeeping: we never have to make our bed or wash our towels. While Alvin goes to class everyday, Miles and I hang out at the air-conditioned hotel or explore Houston by bus, foot, Mei Tai, and stroller (and taxi when it's 10:30 pm and your 9:30 bus still hasn't come). So far we have made it to . . .

Don't worry. Alvin hasn't missed out on all the fun. He joins us on excursions in the evenings and on weekends when he doesn't have to prepare group presentations.

4th of July

2009-08-09T15:05:00.006-06:00

Alvin the photographer was in heaven at the Provo Balloon Fest. He even forgave me for getting him up at 5:45 am on a holiday. Watching the balloons inflate was "udderly" amazing. My new life goal is to ride in a hot air balloon.

3rd of July

2009-08-09T14:41:00.011-06:00

We drove to the Uintas to escape the heat of the valley and hike Ruth Lake and Christmas Meadows.
We have learned from experience that a baby's cry is calculated to get parents to RESPOND, even with a temporary comfort, like a pacifier. Unfortunately, Miles has an uncanny knack for losing pacifiers when we are hiking. Here, Alvin has resorted to drastic measures to distract our baby.

Relaxing by the Provo River Falls. There are actually 3 falls, all beautiful.

This is a glacial meadow on the way to Ruth Lake.

Bradley Reunion

2009-08-09T14:12:00.004-06:00

During the three months before Miles was born, Alvin and I took a Bradley class to prepare for a natural childbirth. There were 8 couples in our class, and we've all had our babies now. We got together on June 27 to share birth stories and see the little squirts that made their mommies' tummies so big. Our instructor came to the reunion and, ironically, she is 8 months pregnant.

Look closely at the following sequence and you'll see the birth of a thief!

Reunion Time

2009-06-21T16:41:00.008-06:00

The last two weeks we've gone to family reunions. First, Alvin's family met in St. George, then my family met in Fairview.

Zion isn't too far from St. George, so we spent a day there. My favorite hike was Angel's Landing. I've always wanted to do it. Now I can die. Well, I better add some more things to my list of lifetime goals. That's Alvin's dad and brother Chris in the picture.

Can you guess what play Alvin's nieces and nephews performed for us? Hint: "I'm late! I'm late! I'm late for a very important date!"

These are my cousins. Since he's a native to Fairview, Alvin took us on a tour of Skyline Drive and found a nice place to hike.

We stopped at a toy shop and saw this sage quote.

This is at the Fairview Cemetery. Alvin's brother, John Mark, and Miles share the same birthday.

Anniversary

2009-06-06T07:42:00.009-06:00

June 2, 2009 we celebrated our 2 year anniversary. Alvin, they've been the best two years of my life.

We went back to Maple Canyon, where Alvin popped the question in March 2007. The conglomerate cliffs make for some great rock climbing. We, however, just hiked and got showered by a spring cloudburst.

I've never seen a conglomerate arch before. Miles likes it, too.

No sunburns today! Isn't this a cool trail?

Memorial Day

2009-06-03T15:19:00.007-06:00

We hiked up Broad's Fork in Big Cottonwood Canyon. The trailhead is next to the one for Lake Blanche.

Alvin's pack was a lot heavier than mine! It's the only way I can keep up with him.

Miles slept contentedly most of the way. When his head flopped to the side, his neck got a mean sunburn. Poor thing!

It's about 2 1/2 miles to the cirque.

It's rather steep on the way down, and that, combined with the extra passenger, did a number on Alvin's knees. Don't worry. He recovers quickly.

Our Cute Boy

2009-05-23T18:20:00.017-06:00

Where's your halo, Miles?

Enjoying the Tulip Fest at Thanksgiving Point.

Alex, Tiffany, Miles, Whitney, & Averi at Allison's wedding.

Miles chills while Averi gets some help keeping her tongue in.

To Alvin. Surprise!

Jonathan, Ryan, Nick, Alvin, & Miles. Happy birthday, Nick!

When are those frog-legs going to spring?

Cruisin.

One of Miles' favorite babysitters, Aunt Amber.

Alvin's exotic anemone.

Miles rides in the umbrella stroller when our arms are too tired or busy to hold him.

Miles to Moab

2009-05-03T20:16:00.016-06:00

Today Miles was blessed. He's always been blessed, but today Alvin gave him a blessing and official name: Miles Asher Anderson. "Miles" for the glacier we visited in Alaska and "Asher" because he's a happy boy and we're happy to have him in our family (and I'm happy to have him out of my tummy!).

Here's who came to celebrate with us: Alvin's family, my family, and our friends . . . obviously . . . which, by the way turns out to be a lot of people. And it was great!

Miles looked cute in his white outfit, and luckily it stayed white the entire time he wore it.

We all came to our house after church to eat. Thanks, everyone, for the beautiful, delicious food you brought! And thanks, Cassie, for washing the watermelon from Mexico. :)

A couple weeks ago Miles was ready to be initiated into the world of outdoor adventure. Destination: Moab. And he loved it! We took him hiking, and when he wasn't asleep, he was bright-eyed and curious about the amazing sights around him.

Brian and Angela let us stay at their house in Canyonlands. They are real quality friends: they gave us their bed and slept outside in a tent so we could get up with Miles during the night. It was fun to see their park-ranger lifestyle. We're jealous.

What a perfect time of year to be in that part of Utah! Sunny, breezy weather, perfect for hiking and sight-seeing. We hiked to Mineral Bottom and Hell Roaring Canyon with Miles slung in the sling or strapped in the wrap. My favorite was driving the Lexus through Onion Creek 16 times, then parking and wading through it ourselves. It's a must-see if you're near Moab. Miles enjoyed it, too. His eyes were wide open, and he loved looking at the red-rock cliffs.

Alvin wants to live in Castle Valley after seeing its red-rock cliffs and pinnacles backdropped by the La Sal mountains. It's a hidden, peaceful oasis in the desert.

Sunday: it was awesome getting together with Clay & Leslie and Brian & Angela for fajitas and blondies. They discussed their world travels and philosophised on the Creation and evolution while I cut wedding invitations for Alvin's sister's wedding.

Monday: another spectacular hike through Millcreek, a narrow red-rock canyon with cottonwoods, beaver dams, and still-frigid swimming holes. That didn't stop Clay from a little deep-water soloing.
I'm was especially pleased that our trip to Moab included two stops for Maverick frozen yogurt. Mmm.

1 Week of Baby

2009-03-02T09:49:00.020-07:00

Resting after nursing

The boys bonding on the bed

Cousins! Averi was born 2 1/2 weeks before Miles

Chillin' in the swing

First toy

Proud, but tired, Mommy

Miles is Born!

2009-02-22T21:08:00.027-07:00

Here he is...all 8 pounds 14 ounces. He's quite the kid. A very content and happy baby. Miles Asher was born on February 21st at 4:46 pm at the Birthing Center in Holladay. We are so glad he's here with us. He and his mom are doing very well. His father on the other hand is still recovering from the whole experience.

Here's Miles' mom, the most amazing woman in the world...Miles and I are lucky to have her around.

Here are a few more photos:

And one completely unrelated photo just for fun...

Baby, oh baby

2009-02-16T11:33:00.010-07:00

Last week we brought home not one, but two, new babies. Neither of them will be named Miles. You'll have to ask Alvin for the crazy story, since he's the one that can't pass up a good deal.

But how could you refuse a cute guy like this?

Obviously I am still in one piece, but separation is imminent. I hope.

10 days to D-day

2009-02-01T14:10:00.013-07:00

Or as the HypnoBirthers would say, my "estimated birthing day/week/month." No signs, unfortunately, that the baby will come early. Which really is fine, because it gives us more time to choose a pediatrician and read about how to care for an infant. And come to a consensus about circumcision.

Yesterday we took a break from car-hunting (Alvin's Accord is going to die, so he wants a Lexus) and house-cleaning (this so-called "nesting instinct" has quadrupled my desire for a clean house) to go snowshoeing. Destination: Little Cottonwood Canyon. Ahh. . . to be above the Salt Lake City smog. And it wasn't cold enough that your fingers instantly freeze outside your gloves. Just nice and refreshing. The top layer of snow on the ground had crystallized like corn flakes.

For those curious about how 8.9 months of pregnancy and snowshoeing mesh: the snowshoeing part was not that difficult. But it was exhausting trying to bend over and strap my gaiters around my boots. Miles is not as squish-able in my belly as he used to be!

Look how vibrant and healthy Alvin's coffee plant is! He got it at Smith's almost three years ago, and since then he has nurtured the plant like a father, awaiting the day it would bear fruit. He nearly cried with joy (not really) when the first tiny pink star blossoms appeared. Now the fruit has matured into beautiful midnight-blue berries. I'm no expert in coffee beans, but that seed sure doesn't look like a Starbucks candidate to me. Alvin, only slightly devastated, is ruminating over how to go about identifying the precise plant species. Any botanists out there?

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-28T11:45:00.009-07:00

Christmas

Christmas is the surely the greatest time of year. On Christmas Eve we had a "Jerusalem supper" with Laura's mom, step dad, and sisters. It was great...we had flat bread, cheese, olives, grape juice, and dried apricots...yummm...tasty. That night we read Luke Chapters 1 and 2.

Christmas morning we opened presents. This year we decided to donate money to charity for at least one of our presents. I decided to give money to a charity called Global Impact. They are all about helping people out of poverty and providing basic essential health and food services. Laura suprised me with a ceramics class which we will take together in a few months. Oh...and I hope you all notice how cute Laura is. We are sooo excited for the upcoming birth of our new baby boy Miles. Only seven weeks to go!

That afternoon we went to Laura's grandparents' house and had fun talking (well, listening to Laura's grandma talk) and they fed us some famous split pea soup and chili.

Then it was on to my parents' house for ham, cranberry relish and Christmas steam pudding. We exchanged gifts, played games, and I lost a chess game to my intellectually superior brother-in-law Ian.

Holiday Fun

With five full days off work, we had time to spend relaxing and playing. We had so much fun talking and spending time with family. It was also fun to have a giant snowstorm on Christmas. Although, I'm pretty sure the day after Christmas alone I spent over two hours shoveling snow off the driveway. It must have snowed at least a foot.

Thank goodness for a warm living room. I pulled out the original 8 bit 1986 Nintendo and played Metroid...one of my all-time favorite games. After much toil I made it past the metroids, whereupon I did away with the Mother Brain and made the galaxy a safer place!

We're happy and well, and we wish all of you the happy holidays you deserve!

Kidnapped

2008-10-26T07:21:00.005-06:00

For Alvin's 30th birthday, we headed south to Kolob Canyon and Tuacahn Theater in St. George. I felt rather devious planning the whole trip because Alvin didn't know a thing about it. Saturday morning, October 18th, I snuck up behind him, blindfolded him with my pink bandana, and announced, "You're being kidnapped."

I escorted him to the car (already packed with clothes and food for the weekend) and said he could take off the blindfold when he guessed where we were going . . . or when we got there. With some time to contemplate while we drove on the freeway and some hints, Alvin finally pinpointed our destination. His surprise was my best reward for all that careful planning. "Whoah. That's big," he said. Then for the finishing touch: "What about Primary on Sunday?" he asked. "I got you a sub," I told him, as nonchalant as I could manage. (In the past Alvin has taken days to decide who to call and make the phone call to get a substitute for his Valiant 10 class).

We stopped in Kolob Canyon, which is actually the northern section of Zion National Park, to hike up a slot canyon. The yellow-green fall leaves were a striking contrast to the glowing red-rock walls towering above us. And the canyon was deliciously cool.

Next on the itinerary: Les Miserables at Tuacahn, the outdoor ampitheater near St. George. The story of Jean Valjean is laced with themes of forgiveness, frustrated hopes, sacrifice, and redemption. The music and story were so emotional and moving. Great set, too, because they incorporated the rocky outdoor landscape into the battle scenes. If that wasn't enough, you could glance upward and feast your eyes on the magnificent Milky Way. Alvin enjoyed feasting on our licorice: Red Vines and Twizzlers. When I gawked at him chomping on 5 pieces at once, he said that was routine.

The only glitch in our trip was the campground. We got there at 11 pm after the musical ended, only to find that the campground gate closed at 10 pm. Ehh. We hopped the gate with our tents and sleeping bags and found our spot in the dark.

Sunday we went to church in what was probably a characteristically "St. George" ward: a lot of seniors who were very tan. Before starting the 5 hour drive home, we took a stroll in Snow Canyon and saw a baby owl! On the way home we stopped in Provo for dinner with my parents. Thanks, Mom, for the taco soup.

What a fun weekend. Short, but a great mid-autumn getaway. Thanks for being born in October, Alvin.

Hungry Man

2008-10-06T22:11:00.005-06:00

Alvin's back from Tulsa! Maybe I should pack him a bigger lunch to hold him over until he gets home from work.

Whenever Alvin hugs me and our bellies hit first, I think,
"Whoa! Alvin's getting a pot!" Then I correct myself, "Oh yeah, that's me." And this squirmy little boy inside me! Only 4 more months to his birthday.

By the way, I don't think Alvin could lose his six-pack if he tried.

Savasana

2008-10-01T19:49:00.007-06:00

I went to yoga this morning, and I have to admit that my favorite part is the very end: every yoga session ends with savasana, or corpse pose. I think it feels best after a good yoga workout, but I'm going to tell you how to do it so you can all try.

First, you lay on the mat on your back, arms at your side, palms up, heels together, toes flopped out. Then you close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing: slow and even. Earthy yoga music helps, but it's definitely optional.

Today during savasana, we imagined the sun slowly rising over our toes, then up our shins, and on to the rest of our bodies. While laying there, you try to release any lingering tension in your body. Even relax your eyebrows and let your tongue fall away from the roof of your mouth.

Lay on the mat until you're ready to get up - yoga is all about being in tune with your body. Enjoy!

Flying Solo

2008-09-28T16:28:00.000-06:00

Alvin left this morning for a week-long job training in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Assuming he made it past airport security in his steel-toed boots, he's scheduled for daily classes in job safety. I looked at his schedule, and I think they'll be watching a lot of movies - maybe about past industrial accidents in his company.

What am I going to do without Alvin? His last business trip was only 3 or 4 days, and that was a year ago. This is an entire week! At least I have Amber and Ranger to keep me company. If I get too bored and lonely, I might do something drastic, like get a short haircut. Alvin's pretty lucky that I've put up with long hair since we got married.

Yesterday we drove up Big Cottonwood Canyon and Guardsman Pass to see the fall leaves. The colors are spectacular! Autumn in Utah is fabulous.

Happy Birthday Laura!

2008-09-21T03:52:00.000-06:00

5 reasons I'm glad that Laura was born.
1. Laura is an Angel.

The world is surely a better place with her around.
She is the most thoughtful and considerate person that I know. She is genuine, kind, and loving and has improved the lives of those with whom she has come in contact. I can't tell you how many notes of gratitude, encouragment, and love that she has written to others (it is definitely a lot).

2. She makes me laugh and she is so fun to be around! Sometimes we get laughing so hard we can hardly stop.

3. She puts up with me.
4. Sweet mountain biking fashion. Need I say more?

5. She's talented, adventurous, and beautiful. I can't believe how lucky I am to be able to wake up next to her each day.

Happy Birthday Laura!

Can you guess what we're having?

2008-09-17T21:34:00.000-06:00

The ultrasound this morning was so cool-there's actually a distinct person inside me. What a cute profile. Look at those strong, Scottish legs.
Have you figured it out yet......?

It's a boy! We are so excited to have a boy, except we'll have to repaint the pink baby room. I really have no idea what to do with a boy, because I grew up with only sisters. At least Alvin's teaching me how to throw a frisbee. That's going to take a LOT of practice. Another milestone today: I started feeling the baby move and kick . . . or was that just digestion?

Ranger

2008-09-14T22:00:00.000-06:00

My sister Amber got a puppy, and since we all live in the same house, he's practically ours, too. Except we're not obligated to feed him or clean the carpet when he forgets that he's being house-trained. Ranger, a.k.a. Pooch, Puppy, Goober, or Dog, is an 11-week-old beagle. My aunt warned us that a dog would chew up all the furniture (which he does), but since Amber claims Alvin does that anyway (which he might), we had nothing to lose. Plus, a puppy guaranteed immediate cuddling, which a year and a half of attendance at the singles ward has failed to produce.

Summers End

2008-09-14T21:42:00.000-06:00

Summer has come and nearly gone and the fresh cool air is a welcome reminder that Autumn is nearly upon us. The harvest has been good this year and we have been busy preparing for the coming winter. However, the most exciting news of late is that Laura is having a baby in February! We are both very excited. Laura is also excited that she has been feeling really well since the end of the first trimester. We find out if we are having a boy or girl in three days. It hasn't sunk in yet that I will soon be a father and I'm sure I don't know what I'm getting myself into.

Garden

This year we grew six kinds of squash, five varieties of peppers, peas, beans, lettuce, potatoes, carrots, radishes, onions, garlic, kohlrabi, tomatoes, raspberries, strawberries, cantaloupe, watermelon, peaches and pears. We almost drowned in tomatoes but luckily we found some good salsa recipes and friends to help us use them up.

Graduation
I am happy to report that I finally graduated! I finished and submitted my geologic map and thesis. What a great feeling that was. Don't get me wrong, I had a lot of fun, but it was sure nice to submit the final copy after all that work. Speaking of work....I have my first real post school 8-5 job. I work in Salt Lake doing geology related work. It's a great job.

The Great Outdoors
Laura and I had a lot of fun this summer. We were able go on some great trips and we have also had fun hiking and rock climbing. Here are some photos.

Happy Anniversary

2008-06-02T09:23:00.000-06:00

Ta dah! We’ve been married exactly one year! I’m not exaggerating when I say it’s been the best year of my life. Thanks to the best man of my life. Here are just a few of Alvin’s qualities I love:

Optimistic: No rain or storm can dampen Alvin’s positive outlook on the future. He’s like Candide, believing that we live in the best of all possible worlds. His enthusiasm is impossible to resist. He keeps the mood light and fun in our house.

Gallant: We went rock climbing in Moab. Recognizing my inexperience and lingering fear of heights, he never climbed too far ahead of me, and he turned around and shouted back encouragement and instructions about the best route.

Brilliant: Alvin points out fascinating geological facts about hills, valleys, rocks, and canyons wherever we go.

Artistic: You’d never know his ’88 Accord is really a rust bucket underneath that gleaming white spray paint.

Ambitious: Alvin put in thousands of hours to not only finish his thesis and geologic map, but do an outstanding job.

Romantic: Can you believe he wrote, memorized, and recited a poem for me on Valentine’s Day?

Generous: He consistently lets me win at out favorite board games, like Settlers of Catan and Ticket to Ride.

Natural leader: He recruited and directed the manpower and equipment to move a piano to our house—within hours.

Imaginative: During dinner, Alvin very accurately compared a buckwheat dish to cockroach shells.

Herculean: He bench presses me.

Kind hearted: Even though he's sure ducks are the dumbest creatures on the earth, Alvin always fed my sister's pet ducks. After we set them free at the river, he went back to check on them and take them more bread.

Happy Anniversary, Alvin!
Love, Laura

Our End-of-the-Year News for 2007

2007-12-23T17:19:00.000-07:00

Alvin and I were married in the Manti Temple June 2, 2007. Our honeymoon road trip through Canada was fraught with peril (we passed a dozen black bears) and hidden treasures (Alvin panned a couple flecks of gold). After a three-month internship in Anchorage interspersed by adventurous weekends exploring the trails and glaciers of Alaska, we moved to Laura’s house in South Jordan, Utah. Here is a typical day in the Anderson family:

6:00 Laura gets up to go running or swim laps
7:00 Alvin gets up, turns on NPR, and eats breakfast
7:30 Laura leaves for work at Roy & Associates Consulting Actuaries
8:00 Alvin works on his thesis at home. He’s writing about the geology in the Uinta Mountains.
10:00 Laura puts the finishing touches on a computer program that will calculate retirement benefits
11:00 Distracted by a flock of geese outside the window, Alvin races outside, grabbing his camera on the way, and captures the geese migration on video
4:00 Laura leaves work to battle the traffic on I-15
4:30 Alvin calls Laura’s cell to ask what he should cook for dinner
6:00 Over dinner, Alvin recounts the latest developments in Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign
8:00 Alvin and Laura play a close round of ping-pong in the living room before joining Laura’s sisters (who share the house) for a movie

We both agree that marriage is better than ice cream, and we make it a point to enjoy both every day!

Merry Christmas, all you friends and family!

2007-12-14T06:23:00.000-07:00

Check out our online album of wedding pictures!

Denali

2007-11-21T22:32:00.000-07:00

Photos from Alaska!

2007-11-21T21:57:00.001-07:00

Here are a few photos from our summer in Alaska. What an incredible place. I think our favorite trips were to Cordova, Denali and Talkeetna .

Cordova

an alaska shot

2007-11-11T10:31:00.000-07:00

That's Anchorage, and the tall gold building is the ConocoPhillips tower where Alvin worked this summer. On the 17th floor, no less, in an office with huge south-facing windows. The smiley-sticker is compliments of Walmart, where we had just purchased a bottle of diet Coke and a pack of Mentos for a 'scientific experiment.'

My first blog

2007-10-15T11:40:00.001-06:00

Yeah! I'm finally joining the post-newsletter era.