I'm Thankful for Pig Mania

This morning Bracken brought me a little, baby, eraser looking pig.  It happened to be a lost pig from the game PIGMANIA, an old Isaacson family favorite.  Seeing that pig reminded me of all the fun evenings my family would spend together playing Pig Mania.  Everyone young and old can play this game.  All it takes is the ability to roll a bunch of pigs out of a can.  It was a regular occurrence on Sunday nights.  Grandma would play when she came to visit,  the missionaries would play it with us when they came to eat.  I remember an older cousins fiancés intense, competitive, playing of the game.  He was ahead and loving that fact, yet, with a simple roll of the pigs, the future of the game played when we all saw that those pigs were "making Bacon."  He lost so bad.  We little kids were secretly thrilled!  Did he end up marrying our sweet cousin?  Yes.  But at that moment, it was as if PIG MANIA, in all it's glory, became a right of passage, a test to enter our family. 

Pig Mania was simple, easy, family fun.  When I saw that little pig this morning I was so grateful for parents who spent time with us.  I'm grateful for these moments, these memories that bound out hearts together and strengthened our family.  It wasn't the pink, plastic, eraser, looking pigs, but it was the 20 minutes sitting around the dining room table throwing those pigs as a family that made a huge difference in our lives.  I hope I'm creating simple, fun, game playing moments with my kids.  Moments that will strengthen them and create unity in our home like there was in mine growing up. 

Trunk or Treat 2014

In keeping with Anderson family tradition we dressed up for the Halloween Trunk or Treat as a family.  We love this tradition and have had some pretty awesome costumes in the past.  This year however, we stewed and thought and couldn't decide or agree about what our family would dress up as for this annual event.  Until.........(insert trumpet music here)......the night the Aggies played BYU at cougar stadium.  It was a sign from heaven, yes, being the Aggie fans we are we had to go as the Utah State University football team beating those BYU cougars 35-20.  Victory is sweet especially when you beat the cougars on their own field.   We just had to celebrate a little longer and if I do say so, it was another Anderson family Halloween touchdown. 

Yes, another stellar year for the Trunk or Treat. 

 Wow!  Look at that cute kid!

 

 

Believe it or not, Big Blue even showed up to support the team.

 

 

 As far as the players themselves we had Chuckie Keeton, Nick Vigil and an up and coming player... Jake Anderson represent.

 

Another fellow Okie, Coach Matt Wells, honored the night with his presence as well as some tag along, crazy, super Aggie fan! 

It was so much fun.  Kiddos would come to our car, throw a field goal to score for the Aggies and then get some candy.  I think we even made a few more Aggie fans that night!  Success. 

We ran up that score!

 

 

 It was a great night!  I think we only offended a few people and those are people worth offending! (just kidding, sort of....no I really am.)

 

GO AGGIES!

 

SUMMER WAS.....

Summer at our house was......

popsicle and lemonade stands out front

a trip to the ocean, a first for the boys

a trip to the swamp, a first time for us all

baseball and t-ball, a dad who coached and three boys who played

a cute baby learning how to talk

SWIM TEAM and then more SWIMMING GALORE
 it's so nice to have a neighborhood pool in this Oklahoma heat!

Reading to the boys after lunch... our favorites this summer, Number the Stars and Snow Treasure. 

Snow Cones

Playing with Friends

A visit from our Wirthlin Cousins

Fire works!

The 4th of July Parade, Pool Party and Favorite Gier Get Together

The Annual anticipation of our trip to Utah

A Visit with Poulsons

A family reunion in beautiful Ephraim

BEAR LAKE IN ALL IT'S GLORY

Payson with Family

Payson Lake, Musti Bucks, 24th of July race, Cousins, the Grotto

Cache Valley

Cool summer mornings in Logan

Pick Ball

Discovering football card love with Papa

DI

Halleluiah with the Canadian Tenors and even more with the cousins

popsicles and more popsicles

Rocks with Pops

meeting a new cousin and loving the old ones. 

The other day on my way home from walking the boys to school I saw a lone kickball bounce across the deserted playground.  The bell had just rung and the kids where inside.  I had to stop for a moment the symbolism of that ball bouncing on an empty playground hit me hard.  Summer was over.  I had a sad pit in my stomach.  Time needs to slow down, I want my boys to stay little, and how can that happen when Summer is officially over?  But School came and beautiful September came and we celebrated an anniversary, we started playing football, we started focusing on school, Isaac discovered pokeman and all of third grade is addicted, Jake consistently wears his cowboy boots to school and gets to come home to me at 12:15, Will is a 5th grader, wow!  September is a beautiful month.  We enjoyed those beautiful warm golden days.  Now September is gone.  How the heck did that month zoom by?  So now it is time to embrace fall in all it's glory.  It is going to be great.  There are costumes to make, football to play, marshmallows to roast, grandparents to come visit, birthdays to celebrate, walks to go on, pumpkin treats to consume, and as always so many new Times to Keep. 
Here's to try to keep this little journal more up to date too. 

Mark Twain

Will recently had a wonderful week.  He started Enrichment, something he has been begging to do for years, and he had a major role in the 4th grade play, Tom Sawyer.  He was Mark Twain.  The main narrator.  We found a sweet wig, mustache, and eyebrows and Mawga hunted down a great jacket for the production.  I think it once belonged to a Logan Temple worker.  It was Awesome!  After a little tweaking, Will was ready to go.  Will was fantastic and learned all his lines so well.  We were pretty proud parents and I hope he felt like a million bucks, because he did such a great job.  
 

And it was Summer. Warm. Beautiful Summer!

Anderson Family Summer Adventure 2014

 

First Stop Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  What an interesting place.  We took a swamp tour and saw a lot of Gators.

 

In fact, we even got to hold them. 

 

 

And Kiss them...

 

What a cool tour this was.  Mike and I kept saying how crazy it was that swamps like this actually exist and people actually live there.  There wasn't a mosquito to be seen and it smelled great.  Not what I was anticipating. 

 

Then on to Gulf Shores Alabama!  What a beautiful, piece of paradise that is.  It was the boys first time to the ocean and they loved it!  Jake keeps calling it the Sea, the little romantic, and I think I'll refer to it as the Sea from now on too. 

 

 

 

There was lots of boogie boarding, sand digging and football throwing.

 

Jake diligently produced his ocean face.....lips pinched shut to keep out all that salt water. 

 

There wasn't a cuter baby to be found on the beach anywhere. 

 

One rainy morning I made my boys drive down the beach and look at the gorgeous homes.  I don't think they were thrilled, but I enjoyed every minute.  I loved all the bright yellows, corals, greens, and the softer beachy colors like the home above.  I think I could live quite comfortably here.  Blast, that it is a little too far from family.   

 

 

Another day we drove into Pensacola, or rather, "Pepsi Cola" Florida.  Here we toured the National Naval Aviation Museum.  SO COOL!  We drove down to the beach ate a early dinner at the Grand Marlin, and then found a quite beach, all to ourselves, and played. 

 

Bracken, flying above the waves. 



On the way home we drove through Memphis Tennessee.    And of coarse, when in Memphis, one must stop and visit the King.  By the time we got to Graceland it was closed, but we did autograph the wall, and we were able to peek at the home.  Suddenly we were Elvis Fans!.  It was nuts.  There really is a Heartbreak Hotel across the street from Graceland.  Darn it! It was sold out. 

Memphis was a little disappointing and a little scary, so on our way out of town we stopped by the temple to help us all feel a little better about it!

This was a wonderful trip and a fun way to kick off summer.  The boys kept little travel logs on our way to Alabama and all together they got to see parts of Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi,

Alabama, Tennessee, and Arkansas.  Will had just learned all the 50 states and capitols in 4th grade so it was fun to have him visit so many states and quiz us on their capitols. 

 

 

 

Mike and Bracken

I look at this picture and can't help but think I am the luckiest girl in the world.  I love these two boys.  Bracken loves his dad, and loves to do EVERYTHING with him.  Mike likes Bracken too and takes the little guy around.  He doesn't mind strapping the baby backpack on his back, plopping Bracken in and together they do all sorts of manly things.  They mow, rake leaves, paint a shed....(which might have resulted in oil base paint in the babies sweet, silky, hair, paint thinner to get it out, and multiple hair washings all before Mom got home).  Bracken is just thrilled to be with his dad.  He loves him so much he even calls him MOM.  Mike's working to change that, but I think he should be honored that Bracken holds him in such high esteem.  I love these boys of mine.   

Candy Land Days

The other day I picked up Jake from school and as he bounced in the van he asked with a huge smile, "Mom, can we play Candy Land?"  He recently discovered this game, loves it, has a crush on Frostine, and really, really loves to win.  I love this stage of childhood and wish I could freeze Jake at this moment forever.  He is so funny.  The other day, he told me, " Mom, I love my sweet-tooth, I hope it never falls out!"  Somehow, he has a secret stash of Valentines suckers at his disposal and I have confiscated around 5 today.  His sweet tooth might rot out if we are not careful. 
In other family news:  Bracken is struggling through Manhood training once again.  He loves all dogs and climbing up the playground equipment.  He loves the slides and swings.  But he hates to sleep.  His best words are, Ball, Hi, and Mom.  Mike and I are both referred to as Mom.  He is an amazing snuggler, and all is right with the world when he snuggles in and pats your back with his sweet baby hands.  He gets the greatest surprise eyes.   
Isaac and Will are at fun stages too.  They are pure boys.  Last weekend we had our pack Pinewood Derby, Ike's first and Will's last as a cub scout.  They had fun cutting their cars out with Mike and painting them.  This year, Mike and the boys experimented with the weights and ended up drilling screws up through the bottom of each car.  Then they could add as many washers on as they needed until they achieved optimum weight.  Apparently, after Mikes extensive research, the higher the center mass the more potential energy the cars would have as they reached the bottom....hence the tall screws.  Anyway, it was pretty fun watching both dad and sons work on this project.  I think Mike only stayed up past midnight once working on this idea.  Ike's car was green of coarse, and Will's had flames.  I'll have to post a picture soon.  I was proud of the boys.  Neither came in dead last this year!!! Yay, and a big relief for Mike.  In fact, they boys had to race each other and in the end they tied for 4th place out of the 13 cars..not bad especially when our family tends to bring up the rear of these events.  I noticed that both of my boys tried to help a friends car that wasn't doing very well.  I was so proud.  At one point when Will's car was racing his friends, he took the weight off of his car to give his friends car a chance.  I saw Ike, in an under the table sort of manner, give all his washers to this same friend at one point.  Those were my favorite moments of the night.  Sons being thoughtful friends.
In other happenings:
Isaac loves the Humphrey books and Hank the Cow Dog.  He and his friends have their secret fort in the creek bed and yesterday had the "boy Awesome" moment of tipping over a dead tree.  Oh the tails I hear of the battles in the creek bed!!!
Will is staring as Mark Twain in the fourth grade program and looks awesome.  He has learned his lines so well.  This weekend is his last basketball tournament.  Life is good and busy.

I stole these pictures from our local newspaper.  It was kind of fun, they did an article about our Packs Pinewood Derby.  My boys feel famous!

That is Ike's green car in second!  Yay!

Go Cougars?

This little moment will live in infamy at our house forever.  About a month ago Jake was mad at  Mike and Me for something.  It was bedtime and I think he wanted to watch a movie, not going to happen at 8:30 p.m.  Because he was so mad, he told us that he was going to say all the bad words he knew and, here is the stinger, he was going to say them during prayer. Okay then buddy. 

 It was time for family prayer, I was saying prayer that night and pretty soon we heard a little voice, "go cougars, go cougars, Go Cougars, GO COUGARS!"  Jake was true to his word.  He hadn't forgotten.  It made us all laugh.  Those were the naughtiest words our little four year old could think of.  He knew just what would pierce us through the heart, and he said them with a heart full of frustrated anger just as loud as he could. 

 

I think he has since repented and denies his stained past....GO AGGIES FOREVER!

Christmas Around Our House

Here are some of my favorite shots of the Christmas season at our house.  I love what I would find everyday.  Bracken really loved taking the baby Jesus out of the kiddos nativity and placing him here...

 

 He would drive this truck and trucker around all morning.  Mike said it brings new meaning to the song, "Jesus Take the Wheel."

 

I also loved to look at this nativity and find it rearranged with different pieces added here and there...

 Or here is the manger that sat on our piano....  It looks so much better with a little red tractor...

 Here is a shot of the whole scene.  I think Jake was wise in choosing the red tractor.  It tends to whisper Christmas. 

And Oh the projects we tried to do.  This was one of my favorite with the boys.  We tried to make snowglobes one night.  Grab a baby food jar, some trinckets from the toy bin, glitter and glue and you have a very fun craft.  However, my boys took some creative liberties with theirs.  Jake on the far left decided that Zane the Lego should be riding bullseye.  One might think at first glance that Bullseye has been cleaverly turned into Rudolf for the Christmas season.  Oh no! Jake informed us that the red was really Bullseyes bloody nose.  Ike stayed a little more conservative with the Lego guy and red holly berries.  Will's was a battle scene a "Who Would Win," if you will, between the panther and whild mustang.  I think it screams Merry Christmas one and all.

 

I love this time of year.  I love that my boys love it, and I love that it is ok with me that it isn't glamorous at our house.  It is real and fun and one day I wont have snowglobes that look like this around the house, so for now I am going to eat it up.  I am going to remember the snow village becoming and annual lego city, the make-shift sleighs in the family room, Ike's homemade hot chocolate.  Reading"Room for a Little One" about a thousand times. I love the memories of our traditional ice skating party.  And I hope they are going to remember the magic.   I hope they remember the love that was in our home and the fun that we had together.