Sharee's Visit

Tonight Sharee and her friend Sara stopped by the house for dinner. They were in town for a vacation with their 5 kids. Yes, 5 kids! It is amazing how sane they both still were at the end of the trip. It was great seeing Sharee again and seeing the kids. I am really glad that we live closer to eachother again.

A picture of the smaller kids eating dinner. Aren't they cute??



The one picture we got with all the kids together. I had to sit with Preston so he would actually sit for the picture.

This is Connor and Preston sitting together with the other kids on the couch reading. I had to take a picture of it because it is so incredibly rare that both boys are sitting still at the same time.


Sadly I did not get one picture of me and Sharee together. I will have to rectify that next time.

An Anderson Family Update

So by now I am sure everyone is thinking "Did she quit blogging?". And the answer is "No, life has been very busy!" Here is a recap of our lives these last few months. I promise to back fill the blog with stories and pictures from all of these months when I have a free moment in time. But as you can see from below I have been living life lately with very little time for blogging.

First there was Thanksgiving which included visits from Abby, Jacob, Grandma Sue and Grandpa Jim.

Thanksgiving weekend also included an overnight trip to the emergency room for Connor. Turns out inhaling food down your windpipe is a bad thing. But luckily the doctors only had to monitor him overnight and let us go home the next morning. The one true blessing of that night was that Sue and Jim were still visiting us. They stayed with Preston that night so we could deal with Connor and the hospital. They made our lives 100% better and I can not say "Thank you" enough for that.

Then I quit my job at Chevron to go to work for BP Chemical.

On December 1, Dave moved to Texas with the dogs ahead of me and the boys.

My wonderful friends (who I love and miss dearly) hosted a Going Away Karaoke Night for me on December 3.

Dave started his new job for OSyS (owned by Rolls-Royce) on December 6.

I spent two weeks without Dave in UT getting the boys and I ready for our big move. I also spent these two weeks trying to say "Goodbye" to alot of people who had grown to mean alot to me and to the boys in the last 3 years.

On December 16, I flew to TX to interview nannies and house hunt. The boys stayed home with their wonderful nanny Traci.

Dave and I flew back to UT on December 18, and started the move to TX with the boys on December 21.

Our move to TX occurred during the week of Christmas so we stopped in Ruidoso, NM to see some of my family and give the boys a break from the non-stop driving and then again in Kerrville, TX to see my Grandparents.

Once we arrived in Houston, we lived in a small temporary apartment with rented furniture. It was a tight space and we were constantly on guard because the boys are rough on furniture and walls and carpet and well....anything. But we made it work since we knew it would not be forever.

I started my new job for BP on January 4.

Nanny #1 started watching the boys the same day.

On January 8, Dave went back to UT for a week to pack our house and get it on the market to sell.

That week we fired Nanny #1 due to major punctuality issues.

On January 16, my sister Melissa came to stay with us for two weeks to watch the boys while Dave and I worked.

We then hired Nanny #2.

Then Abby and Jacob came for a weekend visit. This was great because it let us celebrate Abby's 10th birthday with her. It also allowed us to show the kids the house we were trying to purchase. On the flip side, it also meant 6 people staying in a small 2 bedroom apartment for the weekend.

Then Nanny #2 quit saying she could not handle Connor and Preston. Turns out she really did not understand how demanding of a job it is caring for two kids under the age of 3.

The boys started going to daycare until we can find Nanny #3. Hopefully she will be the last one.

We closed on our new house in Friendswood, TX on February 25th and moved in the next Monday.

Since Abby and Jacob were coming to stay with us this week during their school break for Mardi Gras, Melissa came back to watch the kids. She also has been really nice by helping me unpack my house and make it functional. The house is currently filled floor-to-ceiling with boxes so it is not the most functional for a family with 4 kids.

Aunt Melissa's Trip to the Kemah Boardwalk

Today Aunt Melissa took the kids to the Kemah Boardwalk for some fun. The trip included walking along the boardwalk and visiting the Aquarium.
On this outing Aunt Melissa learned just how hard it is to get a good picture with all four kids looking at the camera. I think she took 40 pictures total but got some great ones!

Saltgrass Junction at the Saltgrass Restaurant

Walking along the water while watching big boats.


The giant shark again! Connor and Preston love the giant shark.

The Aquarium


Aunt Melissa and Connor touching the sting rays.

Aunt Melissa Birthday

Happy 32nd Birthday Aunt Melissa!!!

Since Melissa was in town helping look after the kids while Dave and I worked, we decided to throw her a birthday party to celebrate her day. Too bad Connor and Preston were not able to stay up late enough to enjoy the cake part of the celebration.





Our night out on the town.

The Houston Rodeo with Sugarland

Tonight Dave and I went to the Houston Rodeo. It was Dave's first rodeo and it was so much fun! The rodeo events were fun to watch, the food was good to eat, and the show at the end was amazing. We saw Sugarland perform and since they are one of my favorite bands, I was in heaven. We will definitely be making this an annual Anderson tradition now that we live in Houston.

Before the lights went down for the show.

The AMAZING show! I will definitely pay to see them again.