Andelin Family

Promised Pictures of Where I Live

2010-11-09T11:09:00.000-08:00

My sister reminded me today (after seeing pictures I just posted on facebook) that I still haven't posted the pictures of our new home. These were taken back in February/March. We just got a new camera since our last one broke a while ago, so maybe I'll get around to getting some more current pictures...no promises we'll see.

From this: The last night at our old house in Feb. The picture does NOT do this sunset justice!

To this: This is the view as you drive up the hill to our new home. It was in February, right after a lot of rain and I felt like I was in Ireland, not Phoenix.

Our street March/April:

The hills in front of our house:

A few pictures of inside after moving in:

Entry:

Atrium:

Homework area:

Family room and eating area:

Living Room:
(The furniture in here is different now)

Play room:

Eden's little pink alcove is in the far left):

There are other rooms to show but I have to take pictures first. I hope that gives a bit of a vision anyway. Thanks, love ya, Bethany

I took some more today Nov.9,2010:

My New Favorite Commercial

2010-05-18T08:56:00.000-07:00

I downloaded a ton of pictures a while ago and when I went to post, I lost them all, and since I had no more time that day, or week, or month to deal with it, I still haven't gotten around to re-downloading them.

However I have time to show you my new favorite commercial (that's quick to do). I really don't get time to watch t.v., but I will sometimes stay up late after 10 to get some time to unwind. My current show of choice is Iron Chef (Japan), it's so weird it provides some comic relief. These Weber commercials come on from time to time during the breaks for the show...

I watched it last night and woke up with the song in my head. After scripture reading this morning I surprised everyone by turning on the tv to show them all this commercial (DVR). They thought it was weird that I was showing them all a commercial when they needed to be leaving for the bus (which by the way is such a blessing!)

Sort of out of character, but I thought it would be a happy way to send them off to school. :-) Makes me feel like dancing... I played it over and over again. Lee was quite amused at me...:-)

Just thought I'd share the fun...

version 2: same song, different moves

I got online to see if there was a full version of the song. Sadly, no. The music was only made for the commercial. So, unfortunately, I have to continue dancing 30 seconds at a time while watching the commercial. ;-)

Pictures of Our New Home and Neighborhood

2010-05-05T18:06:00.000-07:00

Seth Speaks

2010-04-14T10:02:00.000-07:00

Seth is such a talker, in his own baby way. He seems to be trying to tell me something all of the time with his coos and facial expressions. And when I sing he likes to croon along with me...its very cute. David captured this video of him one night. It's not his best talking and singing, but its the only one I have on video so far. And, since none of his grandparents have seen him in person yet, I am putting this on especially for them. So :-) ...meet Seth!

Seth this month

2010-03-31T09:30:00.000-07:00

We moved

2010-02-18T17:28:00.000-08:00

I am busy unpacking. We will miss our old ward and school! We love our new place though! For those who have them, the phone numbers are the same. Seth is really growing! He's 10 1/2 pounds now! My friend took a picture of Seth, Eden and me at church a couple weeks ago...

Mr. Magoo

2010-01-04T14:01:00.000-08:00

We've been told before, and again yesterday, that our babies look like Mr. Magoo. I have to laugh at the truth of the matter... :-)

However, despite Seth's caricature look alike, I hope people can still see the cute and sweet baby that he is...

Yesterday was his blessing day!

Seth at Two Weeks

2009-12-28T13:30:00.000-08:00

And... a few outtakes... :-)

Seth and 5 days old song

2009-12-28T13:04:00.000-08:00

Seth and Lee: One day old hospital picture

I dedicate this little song/video to Seth. I love it!

Seth at 5 days old 12/15/09: "I'm sittin' here I'm five days old... One day I'll be a year, then I'll be two, then three, then four, but as for now... I'm five days old, I'm five days old and no days more ".

Seth Steven Andelin is here!

2009-12-13T11:18:00.001-08:00

Seth was born on December 10, 2009, his grandfather Steven's birthday (Lee's father). Thus he will be named Seth Steven Andelin! :-)

He weighed in at 6 lbs. 5 oz. and 19 inches long.

Welcome Seth! We are happy to have you here!

Eden turned 3!!

2009-11-25T16:17:00.000-08:00

Just in time for this little one's arrival (2 weeks to go and counting)!

From Eli's perspective...

And some pictures from October...

(Eli's friend in the fireman hat)

(Luke and Eden in "Make Believe Mode")

Quote of the Month:

2009-11-19T11:21:00.000-08:00

I love this quote that I came across the other day...

"Don’t freak out about the little stuff. And let’s face it—it’s pretty much all little stuff when you think about the magnitude of childhood. Teenagers stay up late doing stupid things, kids play in the mud as soon as the rain stops, lipstick gets smudged all over the wall, milk gets spilled all over the table, eggshells will always land in the batter. This is life, so don’t let it throw you.
A huge part of motherhood is just adjusting our standards to embrace the reality of childhood." ~Hannah Keeley [emphasis added]

Since I'm feeling better now

2009-09-09T12:49:00.001-07:00

I thought I'd celebrate by posting a few pictures. A sort of recap from the last several months from when I got sick. Wow, it's been five/six months! Half of this year I've spent sick, yuck!

Eden's haircut (first "real" one):

Luke's first day in Kindergarten:

Summer vacation with lots of cousins (I wish I took more pictures of our vacation, but I wasn't quite myself yet and just didn't do well in that area. Hopefully the memories will last despite my neglect):

Me with pregnant tummy, my sisters (minus one) and neice, Christie:
Eli turns 7!

David turns 10! (He didn't want cake...still I probably would've done more for him had I not been SO sick at the time. He asked me if next year he could have a better birthday - sad! I took the picture from the couch where I was lying):

Happy Birthday to our friend Linda:
Summer in Phoenix means lots of H2O:

Piano recital:

Bubbles and Buttons:

Scouts:

Birthdays for me and Lee:

Enter at Your Own Risk!

2009-08-18T13:34:00.000-07:00

I have wanted to warn my family and friends when they come to visit Arizona and have neglected to do so in time!... So sorry Dad(x3)!

Phoenix has devised a great way to tax the people, and especially visitors, and believe me it really works. They have been making bucks off of it!!!

There are speeding cameras everywhere! Some in parked vans that move around (that's what got me), some in permanent places along roads and freeways. If you are going 11 miles per hour or more over the speed limit you will get three great pictures of you and your car sent to you in the mail that show you, your license and the speed attached to a moving violation and a bill (you can also opt for traffic school if you live here, which evidently is the same cost or more than the bill itself).

When I finally remembered to tell some family visitors to be careful when driving around here, they said, "oh, we were wondering why everyone goes the speed limit here! We had decided that maybe everyone in the country just doesn't drive like Utahns!" :-)

When you get to know your route, and learn to use your speed control, you can get pretty good at avoiding the traps, but as a visitor watch for the signs. And if you see a lot of people putting on breaks and slowing down ahead of you, my advice is to not look at them like they are crazy and speed past them, but instead slow down and crawl along with them until the cameras are past (for the moment that is--the freeways have them every few miles in some places).

Many people are fighting them saying that they are unconstitutional, so we'll see if they stick around much longer. But, for the moment, the state loves them because the increase of money they have gotten. The radio said that some legislation is trying to okay more of them and to make them more hidden (camouflaging them to look like bushes or dumpsters at street corners) and to lower the speed penalized not to exceed five miles per hour over the speed limit instead of ten. Maybe it was a joke, I don't know. Many say that there is no way it could ever happen!

But anyway, for the time being, consider yourself forewarned! :-$

Freedom!?!

2009-08-18T12:47:00.000-07:00

Are three of my four children really at school for 6 hours of the day five days a week?

It feels like I've been handed a huge gift! In my excitement, I forgot reality for a second, and exclaimed to Eden, "Eden, it's just you and me for the next few years!" And then reality set in and the bubble burst and I had to change my comment to "oops, it's just you and me for the next few MONTHS!" :-] (dangit)....oh, well, I will smile at the fact that I at least have a few months!

I volunteered today with Luke's class and when I was standing in front of the children lining them up in two lines to go to recess, I heard a girl whisper to another girl, "Ask her if she has a baby in there, or if it's just a lot of food." So then I got to hear the question from the friend, "Do you have a baby in there or is it just a lot of food?" I chuckled at their obvious attempts to be so polite about it.

Now truthfully, the answer is both! But I wasn't going to go there with them, so I said, "there is a baby in there." Then there were giggles and little squeals of excitement with whispers, "There's REALLY a baby in there!" It was cute to watch. The little girls started following with questions about names for the baby, etc. (I swear, only from girls would you get that kind of reaction! The boys were busy clobbering eachother with their lunch boxes, they couldn't have cared less!) Sadly, there was a little dampening of glee with a sort of disappointed "oh" when I told them that it was a boy.

Personally, I like my little boy that's coming! But, poor Eden will ask with yearning, "but, is it a girl now?" and later, "but, is it a girl NOW?" Sorry to say girl, but this boy will always be a boy.

It's Official!!

2009-07-17T16:44:00.000-07:00

My suspicions were verified! This sweet little one is a...

BOY!! :-) (We are specializing!) ;-)

It's been a while...

2009-05-12T20:11:00.001-07:00

Since I've posted, so I thought I ought to think of something to say...

so here goes...

These days I am:

*counting down the days for school to end - hoping then I can sleep in a bit
*thinking my family and friends are the best in the world and I am so blessed to have them!
*grateful to Lee and his extra special attention and care these days

*and honestly, I might as well just say it,...just trying not to throw up every second of every single day (two ultrasounds have confirmed the news)
My sister describes it as really bad motion sickness. Like you're on a really long, hot, horrible car ride that never ends and you can't even stop at gas stations to stretch a bit. I'd say that's pretty close to how awful it feels!
*trying to get used to the idea that there will be another Andelin before this year is through! --even if that little Andelin is currently only the size of a pinto bean.
*thinking that cats are not a fun thing to get just as morning sickness kicks in!
(they are cute and fun for everyone,...I just can't look at them, touch them, or even think of them without feeling my stomach lurch to my throat...so enough typing about them)
*I am on two kinds of medication this time to keep my food down, and I am off to the pharmacy to get the refills. I am past due on my dose and can certainly tell!

David was asked at church in front of the WHOLE primary where his mom was and was she sick. I told him not to tell anyone. I guess he figured that saying, "Yeah, and she will be for like the next FOUR months!!" wasn't saying anything! --So it's out--off to the pharmacy!

Mesa, AZ is too hot for a wedding...even in March!

2009-04-13T14:16:00.000-07:00

I wish I was one of those people that just soaked up warmth and couldn't get enough of the sun...but I'm just not, and I still can't understand the wanting a wedding in AZ. Don't get me wrong, though. I'm really glad that my nephew's fiance/wife wanted it here though because all of the family came to us (i.e. no traveling involved). I loved it! We love Emily for Ryan and are so happy for them! And it was so fun seeing how many people we could squeeze in our house at once! I think we got up to eighteen total, actually sleeping here!... So fun! Some pictures: Poor Grandma thought that she was finding a quiet place in the shade to sit and park for a while, until suddenly....she's a bridesmaid! :-)

Two more to the family: "What can you do? When you're crazy....you're crazy!"

2009-04-13T13:20:00.000-07:00

above quote from an old animal loving lady who was listening to my woes about how I don't know why I'm taking on more animals! Note: I'm not particularly "animal loving"..I thought!

Introducing: Bubbles and Buttons (identical Ragdoll sisters)
Soon to join the family later this week.

For more info, visit: http://www.abundantlyblessedcattery.com/

I am not allergic to cats! I am not allergic to cats! I am not....

2009-04-13T11:30:00.000-07:00

I am in denial. Maybe if I tell myself this many times over and over again it will become true! :-@

It is only a little bit as allergies go...I hope! Plus, I heard that you can become immune to your own cat/s if you're around them enough (crossing my fingers). Besides, I'm allergic to dogs too, and I still have a "huge-amongo" one. I figure if worse comes to worse, I'll just be a daily taker of claritin or something... (honestly, I'm just praying really HARD that this will all work out)!

Speaking of my huge-amongo dog!

How could I have known that the day after we prayed hard for guidance, worked out our budget so that we could squeeze in a couple of cats and then put down a down payment for the little kittens, our dog would become almost deathly ill and have to go in for emergency surgery because of a congenital dental problem that involved teeth extraction, infected jaw bone removal, bone grafting, and bone-growth stem cells from one of the two veterinarian dental surgeons in AZ who also does surgery on lions and tigers and bears! Not cheap! Just putting our huge dog under the anesthesia broke the bank, let alone the rest. Needless to say...I was in tears!...and not just for the dog's sake!

Is The Flu Shot Really Worth the Trouble?

2009-03-17T13:13:00.001-07:00

I am so sick! I have been completely laid out for days, since Friday! We have all been hit hard, except for Lee who hasn't been home enough to contact the illness (yet). Every centimeter of me just hurts! My kids and I have been laying around pretty much comatose all weekend. I hate feeling this way. Plus, I have serious cabin fever!

Lee worked a whole day, a whole night, and then another whole day without any sleep. The poor guy. Last night, when he was finally done with the deadline, I came and got him. I didn't want him driving home with so much sleep deprivation. He said he didn't have much real food either, just junk. So after giving him a square meal and putting him to bed last night about 9pm, he is still there (1:30pm). He told me that he was still planning on going in to work this morning, but I think that plan is shot by now. He may have wanted me to wake him up, but I'm not about to. The poor man needs sleep sometime, despite what the pressures of his job think. Maybe he'll get there by this evening....I just hope that his body, being run down, doesn't pick up this horrid virus!

The doctor says that this virus is NOT the one they gave shots for this year. But that it has been sweeping through all of the schools and is very contagious. The same thing goes for the flu virus that my kids got last month. They tested it and verified that no, it was not the same strains as the shot....

So I have come to a very important conclusion!... I am officially relinquishing all guilt that I DIDN'T get any of them flu shots this year! ;-) What a waste of time, money and hassle that would've been!

The Efforts Continue...

2009-03-13T11:27:00.000-07:00

I actually did eventually get to that drawer, even if it was after midnight, and I now have a still totally broken, but organized drawer! I tried to "heal" Eden's heart and be a good example by showing her what I had done the next morning. Once I did, I wondered if it was such a good idea after all. Watch her eyes! I knew exactly what SHE was thinking! Stuff like this....toddler heaven! (and dental floss is a personal mess making favorite of hers) ;-)

But see, that was relatively easy because most of it didn't have a lot of sentimental attachment. The other stuff is harder. Take this for instance: Last week, I was going through a pile of stuff by my bed trying to keep my heart out of it. Using only my head and dumping whatever was taking up space. When I got to this heart, I had to stop and evaluate. It's two Valentine's Day old. Luke made it and it's actually an envelope to put all of your valentine's in it. It had been laying around my house for a long time last year until I finally put it away with my children's artwork. Then it laid around again this year after Luke brought it out so that he could make me valentine's and put them all in there for me... But now it's trashed, torn and it's big. So what do organizers say in this case, take a picture of it! So that's what I did... evidence above (and notice the shout out to Sink Reflections?...not staged). In fact, I took SEVERAL pictures close-ups, different lighting, etc....I even took a video of the thing! And when all was said and done, I picked it up, put it over the trash, took one long last look at it while storing my memories of Luke's pride and love in it,.... and then stuffed it right back in the drawer! After all of that! It ended up meaning more to me after all of that! With all of my thoughts directed to Luke and his beautiful, sweet soul!....sigh....so I'm thinking it's pretty much hopeless for me and my "blue" color-code personality!

Guilty...and THANK YOU for all of the great lunch ideas!

2009-03-11T11:56:00.000-07:00

The Arizona Republic has as a headline in one of its sections: "Clutter and Calories: Experts link a messy home to overeating" Just reading that both made my heart sink and was an "ah-hah" moment all at the same time. Who would've thought that the two greatest trials of my LIFE would be "linked" together? All I can say is, "Yes. I am guilty."

My question is, so what then? The article says, "If your cupboards hold random foods instead of the makings of a nutritious meal, and if you can't find the right utensils, clean dishes or even a clear spot to set them, clutter trumps your good intentions." Which is why you go for something easy which is not as healthy. Okay, I definitely understand that one ...so moving on, then the article says, "simple room-by-room changes can help you turn a house that's making you fat into one that allows you to make good choices easily, supporting the life you envision for yourself." Okay, I'm envisioning..... so what now....then it goes through a list of all of the same organization tips and diet tips everyone already knows.

The article seems to be saying, "well, duh, organize your house and then everything will be wonderful including your weight." As if the cause is the lack of organization. I can see that they both could be related to each other, but I question, "is clutter really the cause, or could the two both be symptoms of the same cause?" Is "Whatever it is" causing both of those things to be present in my daily life? For instance, could it be lack of energy? lack of focus? lack of know how? lack of emotional health? lack of mental health? Or hey, maybe it could even be lack of physical health....maybe they are just negative feed backs of each other and tend to propel one and then the other until you're in a hamster wheel and can't get out! Or, heavenforbid, dare I say it?... laziness!

I don't know. But I do know that there is a slower, sluggishness about me that I don't sense in other more clutter-free people. I also know that there are times when I have eaten completely healthy and there are times when I have felt organized, sometimes for extended periods of times, but I then seem to crash and can't seem to keep up with the energy that is involved to sustain such a life style....and then the guilt creeps in.

I'm trying to remember if those times coincided with each other...maybe they did. Actually, yes, I would say two of the times that I remember the most is when we lived from home and had to leave all of our furniture and "stuff" in storage units. But, that is not realistic longterm. I can't keep all of my stuff and furniture in storage units for the rest of my life (though I do know some people who do).

I don't know, maybe clutter causes so much nagging mental stress, that it causes depression and the depression keeps you from having energy to exercise and eat right.... or maybe it's only a state of mind and if I change my attitude to a "I think I can" type of attitude all would change... I don't know!

But what I do know, is that to "just get clutter free" as the article suggests, for me, at least, is a lot easier said then done!

Anyway, food for thought...

BTW, The man who prompted the article wrote a book called, "Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?" ....again....ouch!...;-)

----
While I'm divulging, I might as well go all of the way and SHOW you what I'm talking about...Aaah! Okay, I stop right here to give a...

Warning: If you do NOT like me, I would strongly suggest, and even demand, that you stop reading about right....NOW! (This is stuff I'd only tell people that I could imagine as my friends, not my enemies....just too much fuel for your fire, let me tell ya, spare yourself, you just do not want to go there!).... okay, wait..... NOW!

True story: I am currently reading the book, "Sink Reflections" as per my sister's request. It was on the floor by my bed with my regular pile of clutter and David picked up out of the blue, opened it up and read out loud one line, "'As the kitchen goes, so goes the rest of the house'...[lifts eyebrows as he looks at me with earnest eyes]. That definitely is true in our house. You need to read this! I'm going to put a book mark here for you." Then he got a sticky note and stuck it there...as to not get lost.

So, since I have NO shame ;-) I will show you my kitchen right now, speaking of clutter... Freak, is it already 1:49pm! I haven't done anything worth speaking of today besides this post!...sorry, a tangent...okay, so Here are my counters...

Now the REAL divulgement (if that's even a word...nope. It's not, I just looked it up. Oh well, not changing it. I like it! and you get the point) is that LAST week my friend came over and helped me organize that counter!....AND! I'm really embarrassed to say this..I payed a lady only yesterday to clean my house. And she straightened and wiped my counters!... and since we're on the topic of healthy eating, notice tortilla chips and marshmallows (Eden is eating a cupful of marshmallows right now that she got for herself because I haven't stinkin' FED the girl!) And the next one...(notice the dehydrated leftover mac'n'cheese in the pan from...I'm not sure when..because (AAAH! I can't believe all that I'm divulging!) I didn't even make mac'n'cheese yesterday for lunch...that was Top Ramen!
Is it really as bad as all that? Yep, that's the honest to goodness truth! But still, I'm smiling, (now this is the crazy part) and my kids, though starving, seem to be happy for the most part. I think, I actually like my life! (except for those two hateful topics previously mentioned)

Lastly, when I went to take a picture of my most embarrassing bathroom vanity drawer,... since it's totally broken,... I totally dropped the whole thing after pulling it out too far! Then I just left it there thinking that this is the perfect opportunity to organize it! .... just,.. not now.... I've got to finish this too long of a post (sigh,... but what does one expect when they are "divulging" their biggest weaknesses)...

Finally, the worst part is that I'm unwittingly passing all of this emotional baggage on to my children (think: David's comment) and see below Eden's reaction to the mess. It's all very telling!

But then, aren't there some scriptures that tell us we're supposed to have weaknesses in this life? yes? [think, Ether 13:verse...whatever it is] Oh, good! That makes me feel better. I can think of it this way! I am helping my children to have the need to go to Christ to ask for HIS help to remove from them all of the baggage that I have caused them. I could think of it as bringing them closer to Christ, right?;-) Okay, I know...but seriously, all of this would be more than I could bare if I didn't KNOW that He is there for me and can help me to be the mother He wants me to be. Through Him I can make "weak things strong"... though it may take a lifetime of effort and faith and prayers. But, in the meantime, He can help me to have peace and love in my heart. In the end, isn't that what matters most in order to bring us happiness in this life and the life to come? I think so.

But in the meantime, I better, with a prayer in my heart, get off of my, what that book talked about, and get my children some lunch...love ya bye
---

Speaking of: Thank you! Thank you! Thank you all, for all of the great lunch ideas!

I have a long list of new ideas including, bagels, pepperoni, All-Bran crackers, corn dogs... hey, and I just thought, I have frozen chicken nuggets(also remembering my lack of healthy eating, [tinge of guilt], but I have to overlook the fried part right now for the sake of getting some protein in them), why didn't I EVER think of that!

Anyway, thanks everyone!

P.S. Amber! long time no talk! it's great to hear from you!

P.P.S. Nichole, to answer your question, hot lunches are $1.75 for my kids. In itself isn't a lot of money, but after I multiply it per kid and amount of days it begins to accumulate.

P.P.S. Cher I've never gotten a comment from you I don't think! How fun! Great ideas! I love you guys! I'm praying for Jason.

An Evil, Dying, Screeching Owl

2009-03-09T19:24:00.000-07:00

Is what my loving and gracious son says that I sound like during my voice lessons..... Sheesh!
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Good thing we're going to have our FHE lesson on "Let Us Oft Speak Kind Words to Eachother" tonight! Sounds like prime time for such a lesson!..... ;-) Can you say, "guilt trip"? ;-)

"Green" Husband + Weeds + HOA =...... a Fire?

2009-03-07T11:49:00.000-08:00

Lee is always looking for ways to be kind to nature and the earth. When it comes to the weeds that grow in the front yard we try to keep them under control the good, old-fashioned way... pulling each one out by hand. But in Spring after a rain they start to pop up faster than our hands can pull....and so we get letters from our HOA threatening to charge us. They drive by all of the houses every week (on Tuesdays at 12pm, to be exact) to make sure that there is not one green thing popping out from our rocks.

So, to combat the deluge of HOA letters, Lee came home feeling very triumphant the other day. He was carrying, "The Inferno Torch"! (made especially for weed killing, I guess) and a propane tank, assuring that THIS was the best chemical-spray-free way to deal with the weeds.

So, Saturday was THE day to try it out. I was inside the house and all of a sudden, a loud sound came from outside the front door that sounded not unlike a plane trying to land on our house!

After cautiously checking it out, I found that it was none other than the studly, green, "Inferno Man" with a huge blast of inferno at the end of his arm. My first thought was, "my goodness, the whole neighborhood's going to come out to see if a plane IS falling on them with all of this ruckus!" But, Lee was so proud of his new found toy that it only took me a half a minute of watching before I started to get the giggles and decided to go get the camera. I was really glad that I had when things began to get a little out of control for the Inferno Man.... and a little "gigglier" for me!

Here's the video: (note: The video does NOT do the noise that this thing makes justice. It was REALLY loud!... what about noise pollution?)

Before Inferno Man:

After Inferno Man:

After (close up):