Indiana Trip 2012

Dear Charlie,

Last year we went to Indiana to visit our besties, the Adams. We had so much fun last year that we decided to go again for our 12 year wedding anniversary. These awesome people are the reasons for our visit to Indiana:

Aunt Lindsay

Uncle Brandt

Hailey

Brianna

Brandon

Sammy

As soon as we arrived in Indiana, Lindsay and Brandt had an itinerary full of fun-filled activities planned for us. Here is the order of festivities:

Day 1: Triathlon & Ruth's Chris
Your Dad and Uncle Brandt signed up to do a triathlon together. It was one of the hottest days in Indiana, and the triathlon started at 4 in the afternoon, but they pushed through it.

Waiting in line for their turn to swim

Daddy doing the breaststroke

Brandt freestyling

You and Charlie were in the stroller, and you were cheering him on. It was so cute! You kept saying, "Daddy, daddy!" and clapping your hands.

The next event was the bicycle ride. Unfortunately, Dad got a flat tire after the first lap and had to ditch his bike. He was a champ and still finished the event even with the setback.

The last event was the running, where Dad ran a 5K. As I stated before, it was a hot day, and I was sweating just watching.

This is one of my favorite pictures. Brandt getting ready to slap Dad's butt for a job well done.

After the triathlon, we went home, took a shower, and headed out for our anniversary dinner at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. Lindsay and I had never been there, but everyone has told me how delicious the steak is. I was so hungry and ready to sink my teeth into a juicy steak.

We ordered salads, calamari, a shrimp cocktail, ribeyes, asparagus, mashed and scalloped potatoes, and creme brulee for dessert. Mmmmm, it makes my tummy rumble just thinking about it. Dad even ate the tender meat right off of the bone. The dinner was definitely worth the small fortune we paid for it.

Day 2: Indy 500

Can you believe we did all that in just one day? The next day was our actual anniversary, and we went to the Indy 500, courtesy of Brandt and Lindsay. They bought us the tickets for our birthdays. Hailey was kind enough to babysit you and Charlie while your dad and I went to the race. I'm sure you had a great time playing with all the kids while we were gone.

Brandt also knows about the back roads, and he was able to get us a free parking space that was only about two miles from the stadium. (He said it was only a mile, but it was definitely more like two.) It didn't matter though because we got to walk with all of the other people going to the racetrack, and we were all pumped!

The boys had to carry the coolers all the way from the car to the stadium.
I was glad to be a girl that day.

These were the nice covered seats we had. Thanks Brandt for picking good seats! I don't think I could've stayed for the whole race if we were in the direct sunlight.

At the gate, they gave us these free sunglasses to wear in honor of a driver, Dan Wheldon, who died this year. They looked really silly, but it was a free souvenier.

This is what the stands looked like. Almost the entire stadium was filled with people. I felt sorry for all those saps sitting out in the sun.

Something funny that happened at the beginning of the race was the ridiculous number of songs they made us stand for. They started with "America the Beautiful," which was nice, and I proceeded to sit down. Then they told us to stand for another song, which I think was "Proud to be an American." Then we stood for the Indiana Anthem. And finally, we stood for the National Anthem sung my Martina McBride. There may have even been another song we stood for that I cannot remember. They all started to blend together after the first song.

They also said a prayer before the race. I guess I am used to the standard LDS prayer where they would ask to bless the safety of the drivers and the crew, etc., but this was completely unexpected. I felt like I was in a scene from Taladega Nights. The preacher kept praying for "The awesome, powerful engines" and then he would shout to the crowd, "Can I get an AMEN!?" The crowd would all shout, "AMEN." Some people were actually touched by this. The four of us were looking at each other and giggling uncomfortably from the irreverence of the prayer. Needless to say, it was awkward.

After the race, we went down to the track and took our picture.

We walked back to the car and stopped at a tamale place that Guy Fiery named as one of the best places to get tamales. I personally liked the carne asada tacos better than the tamales, but they were delicioso as well.

Day 3: Breakfast & Splash Pad

Monday morning started with, as written on the itinerary, "The Crappy Ward Breakfast" with Brandt and Lindsay's ward. The breakfast was appropriately named.  Since it was Memorial Day, the ward decided to have a presentation in honor of our armed forces. The idea was nice, but there were several flaws. The breakfast/program began at 9am. We arrived at 9:15, and the program had already begun. The food was all cooked and sitting out on the tables during the 1 hour presentation. By the time it was done, all of the food was cold, and you were restless. (Honestly, I was a pretty restless too. I couldn't hear anything they were saying, so I couldn't even enjoy the program.) The highlight of the breakfast was that Lindsay snagged me a scrumptious, homemade pastry stuffed with apple filling. It was totally worth the wait.  You also had fun playing in the grass at the park.

After the breakfast, we headed over to the splash pad, and the kids played in the water.  You weren't sure about the cold water at first, but you eventually warmed up to it.

Days 4 & 5: Chicago

Chicago!!! We rented a car and drove out to Chicago, which is about 3 hours away from Indianapolis. We stayed at the Hilton, and it was beautiful. It had a baby grande at the top of the staircase with a live pianist to greet us.

They also had a life-size version of one of my cow parade cows "Lucky Cow" out in the front lobby.

After we dropped off our stuff at the hotel, we headed out to the Willis Tower, formerly known as the Sears Tower. This is the tallest tower in the US and the tallest structure in the world.

They had a skybox at the top of the tower where you could look out at the city. I am terrified of heights, and it took a lot of courage for me to step onto the skybox and also allow you and Ella to. You were not afraid at all.

Since we were in Chicago, we stopped for some deep dish pizza. It was yummy, but I think I am more of a NY pizza kind of girl.

After I finished my pizza I took you and Ella back to the hotel and put you to bed. The adults stayed up and played cards and then went to bed.

The next morning we went to see the sights of Chicago.

Buckingham Fountain

Side Note: This is the same fountain shown at the beginning of a show called "Married with Children." It was very popular when I was in high school.

Hailey is an amazing artist. Maybe she'll go to school there someday.

I know it's silly, but this was one of my favorite parts of Chicago.

The Bean - I love the view of the city reflecting off of it.

Which one is the real Lindsay?

The next part of our trip was soooo cool! The Adams told us that we were going to a Cubs game, but what they didn't tell us was that the Cubs were playing against the Padres!!! As soon as I found out, I was kind of bummed that I hadn't brought any of my Padres gear. Then, they surprised us again by telling us that they had called your Nana and arranged for her to send us some Padres gear to wear at the game. It was so cool to be routing for the Padres at Wrigley Field. I thought that people would get really angry, but they were pretty nice about it.

The Adams routing for the Cubs

Go Padres!

Brandt also told us that we had to have a Chicago hot dog at the ballpark. Well, I never object to a hot dog at the ballpark. (That's usually the only place I will eat them.) As he was going to pick up the dogs for us, I asked him to make sure mine had mustard and relish. He laughed and said, "No. You'll see." This is what he brought back:

The picture doesn't do the relish justice. It is a bright green color, so bright in fact that I think they add food coloring to it to make it greener. It was yummy and full of flavor.

On our way home we stopped by Navy Pier, but just to use the restroom. Maybe next time we go we can spend more time there.

Dad loved Chicago so much that he said he wanted to live there. I loved it too, but I think the winters would be too cold for me. We thought that maybe we could become snowbirds when we retire and live in Chicago in the summer. I'm excited to go back and see more of the sights.

Days 6 to 10: Around the House & Children's Museum

The rest of the visit was spent hanging around the house in addition to a visit to the Children's Museum. I hope someday we can get a Children's Museum in Yuma.

Daddy spent a lot of time playing the Wii.

We played cornhole (bean bag toss) outside.

You were either watching from the stroller or hanging out on the trampoline.

We also discovered that you and your Dad make the same face.  He always says you look like my family, but I have the pictures to prove that you look like your Dad.

Lindsay let you try all kinds of new foods, which you loved.  You ate some of her homemade wheat bread, graham crackers, and asparagus.  You really enjoyed being able to hold something in your hands and eat it.

You also liked to scoot around their house and use their chairs as a jungle gym.

It was nice having your Daddy off of work to snuggle with too.

Our trip to the Children's Museum was tons of fun for you.  You really liked looking at yourself in the mirror.  They had a Hot Wheels exhibit and a Legos Exhibit that wasn't there last year.

I accidentally forgot to take this car away from you, but luckily Dad found it and put it back.

We all had so much fun at the Adams' house. Although we miss them terribly, it is nice to have an excuse to go and visit other places and have fun in a big city. They really went out of their way to make sure we had an amazing time while we were there. I hope some day you are as lucky as I am to have such great friends.

Love,

Mom

Papa's Carrots

Dear Charlie and Ella,

My maternal grandfather, Grant Symmons Anderson or Papa as we called him, had an amazing green thumb. He used to grow all kinds of flowers and vegetables in his yard. He even had an old Beta video camera that he used to take footage of his garden and make us kids watch it. We all hated it, but the thought of him narrating the video of his roses makes me laugh now.

When Uncle Sherman, Auntie Jani, and I were very little, we used to love to go to his house on Browning(?) Street in Point Loma. One of our favorite things to do at his house was to go in the backyard and pick a carrot out of his garden. He would tell us which ones were ready to be picked, and we would slowly pull them out and pretend like we were Bugs Bunny saying, "Aaa, what's up doc?" as we ate them. At his funeral in 2010, my father told the following story. He said that there were times when Papa did not have any carrots in his garden for us to pick. He knew that we loved to pick them so much that he used to go to the grocery store and buy carrots with the tops still on, bury them in the garden, and then let us pull them out. After my dad had said that, I remembered the times where the carrots would come out a little more easily than usual. I remembered that sometimes the carrots were giant and straight and other times they were skinny and curvy with little root "hairs" on them. Either way they were delicious! Yum, I can almost taste the sweetness of those fresh picked (and store bought) carrots now. It warms my heart to think that Papa would go to all that trouble just to make us kids happy, and it's funny that I didn't know he did that until after he passed away.

Although Papa died before either of you were born, I want you to know about your ancestors. They are the roots of this family, and you have been blessed with strong roots who have nourished our family with love and knowledge. I hope to continue to share stories with you about your family members so that when we are all united again someday, you will feel as though you know them already.

Love,
Mom

Mother's Day 2012

Dear Charlie and Ella,

This is my second Mother's Day being a mom, and I want you to know that I LOVE being a mom.  I know that sometimes I freak out and lose my patience with you, but I love you so much.  Here are some of my favorite parts of being a mom to you:

Extra snuggles and kisses at bedtime (or anytime for that matter)

The way you look at me and smile

Watching you two play together and make eachother laugh

Ticklish spots

Getting to be there to watch you learn and grow

Listening to Ella growl every time she sees a lion

The funny look Charlie gets on his face when I feed him something new

Saying family prayers with you

Watching you play with your Dad, and the look on his face when he is playing with you

Taking you for walks to the park

Ella taking Charlie's hand and pulling him (with my help) into the play room to play with her

Reading books to you

Listening to Ella yell at the ants outside our house

But my favorite part of being your mom is getting the chance to love you more than I thought possible

I'm so grateful to my Heavenly Father for entrusting you to me, and I hope that when I see him again I can look him in the eyes and know that I did the best job I could.

I also want to let you know how happy I am to have such a wonderful husband who is an amazing dad as well.  He made my Mother's Day special this year by installing a new knob on my shower.  I had been complaining about the knob on my shower since we moved into this house in 2006, and he was so sweet to listen and do something for me that he knew I would appreciate.  He also knew that I wanted a good night's rest, which hasn't happened in a looong time, so he slept on the floor in the hallway outside your rooms so that he would hear you wake up and take care of you while I slept.  On top of all that, he also made sish ka-bobs and fried rice from scratch for me for dinner tonight.  For dessert, he made homemade vanilla bean gelato.  It was so yummy!  I hope some day you are as lucky as I am to find a spouse who will make you feel special, not just on the holidays, but everyday.

Call me cheesy, but I love my family.  Happy Mother's Day to me!

Love,

Mother

Your First Easter

Dear Charlie,

This year was a special Easter not only because it was your first, but also because your Nana and Papa came from San Diego to share it with you.  Your Nana brought you an Easter bucket with these great toys in them.  I looked all over for Easter baby toys, and I couldn't find anything, but your Nana managed to get the best toys.  She put a soft rattle with a chick on it that you loved to chew on.  She also found this cool plastic egg that had a button that makes the eggs light up and spin around.  If ever you are sad or angry, all I have to do is light up the egg, and you immediately calm down and become mezmorized by it.

This is the rattle your Nana gave you.

I got you an Easter bucket and had your name put on it.  I filled it with some little baby snacks that you just became old enough to try.

Your Nana also gave you that cute little outfit to wear.

I can't wait until next Easter when you are old enough to participate in all of the festivities.

I want to share with you the real reason that we have Easter. Easter is a time to remember the life, death, and resurrection of our Savior. He lived his life as an example to us so that we could know how to live our lives. He suffered in a way that I will never understand so that we could repent of our sins and return to live with our Father in Heaven. I know that our Savior was resurrected and that he lives today. He lives and loves you. I hope that you will grow to have a relationship with him so that you will be grateful for all of the things he has done for you. I know that my Savior loves me, and I love him too. My love for you helps me to understand the love that my Father in Heaven has for me.

Sincerely,
Mom

Spring Break

Dear Charlie,

This year we went to your Grammy's house to celebrate Spring Break.  While we were there for the week, we went to many fun places.

The first day, we went to the Wild Animal Park.  There was a butterfly room there that was filled with millions of butterflies.  You wanted to eat them.

The next day we went and visited your Nana Platt.  She hadn't seen you since Christmas, and she was so happy to get to hold you.  So was your Grammy.

The third day, we went and got your picture taken with the Easter bunny at the mall.

Then we went to the turtle pond to feed the ducks and turtles.

This is one of my all time favorite pictures of you with your cousin Alex.

The fourth day was just hanging out around the house.  You had so much fun playing with your cousins.  Lyla, who doesn't like many people, sure does love you.  Throughout the whole visit, she was always snuggling and kissing you.  You are pretty darn lovable.

You also spent a lot of time with Grammy, who also loves you quite a lot.

You and Grammy playing pat-a-cake

The last day in San Diego, we went to the beach.  You mostly hung out with Grammy on the beach chair because if we left you on a towel, you wanted to eat the sand.  You took a nice long nap.  The sound of the waves crashing must have relaxed you right to sleep.

Later that day we went to see my friends Tara and Trisha.  We hung out at the park and then went to McDonald's.

You were such a good boy the whole time we were there.  You loved having so many people to pay attention to you and give you kisses on those big squishy cheeks.  I love you, and I can't wait to take you back to San Diego when you are bigger and can run around and play with all of your cousins.  For now, you'll just get lots of attention from your Grammy and me who are always happy to hold you.

Love,
Mom

First Food

Dear Charlie,

You're such a big, healthy boy that I never expected you to be a picky eater.  I know that no babies like rice cereal the first time they try it, but you never liked rice cereal.  You had such distain for the rice cereal that you would dry heave each time I put a bite in your mouth.  These pictures say it all.

So happy and unaware of what is to come

You take your first bite with full trust in your dear mother

Oh no!  What is this crap she's feeding me?

Oh the humanity!

I think I'm gonna be sick

And that's how it went down every time I tried to feed you rice cereal.  However, I did later mix it with some pears and you liked that a lot.  I know I'm a bad mother for saying this, but I was laughing so hard at the faces you were making.  They were so dramatic.  It was pretty hillarious.

Love ya,
Mom

Caught Red-Handed

Dear Charlie,

You learned to roll around at a very young age.  (Probably because you're a genius.)  Additionally, we had been trying to get Ella to say, "Please," for a very long time.  One evening, we were sitting around in the living room as a family.  You were rolling around on the floor, and Ella was coloring with some crayons.  Dad and I were snacking on something on the couch, and Ella walked over to us and said, "Please."  We were so excited!  We kept practicing by giving her a bite of the snack and then asking her to say please in order to get more bites.  (This story is about you.  I promise.)  We were so distracted by Ella's achievement, that we failed to notice what you had been doing.  When we looked over at you, this is what we saw:

Despite the look on your face in this picture, you were quite pleased with yourself.  You look a little like the joker here.  If this is the only trouble you get into while I'm not looking, I'll consider myself lucky.  I love you son.

Love,
Mom