It's been Relief Society overload this week as our President was out of town and everything seemed to happen.  An elderly lady has vertigo (needs meals), A young mother threw her back out (needs meals and kid help), Someone died (needs a funeral), a little 18 month old is in the hospital with dehydration (family needs some help) and the child they babysit needs a new babysitter for a few days (that mom contacted me too for help), and a girl I visit teach had her baby (I promised her dinner before everything else happened).  So I decided that I've had enough phone calls for a few days and we're headed to Utah for the Conference gathering.  Don't worry, the President got back and I have happily turned the reigns back over to her. 

Here is a video of Rosie tormenting Serra at bedtime with chatter and song and, of course, Baby Wes, being cute.

So let me back up to Friday 2 weeks ago.  We were waffling back and forth on whether to go up to Salt Lake for baby Jillian's blessing on the 16th.  The issues were of course the cost of gas, the long drive after just completing a trip the week before, and what to do with Mo.  Usually we leave him with Brian's parents but they were headed up too.  We found out that we could kennel Mo for 15 a night at his Vet's, and Brian received a $150 gift card from American Express for cashing in some points a while back.  The reasons for going really did outweigh the reasons for not.  We had yet to meet Jillian and we really wanted to get all these new babies together for a photo op.  (See what I am willing to do for a picture) So we packed up and headed out late Saturday afternoon.  The kids were fantastic and we made it just in time for dinner at Brick Oven in Provo with the rest of the family.  We spent the night at Grandpa and Grandma Gee's with thousands of other people.  Surprisingly, Sunday morning we were all up and ready to go well before the appointed hour.  Jillian received a beautiful blessing from her father and we all got a kick out of the part where she was blessed with a happy disposition and she started crying and hollering.  Right after the blessing we gathered at Tuckers aunt's in Salt Lake where we had a light lunch and took some pictures of Jillian in her antique duds.  We got a few of Violet and tried to get all three together.  The three of them weren't getting along for their picture together but that makes it all the more interesting.  Here are a few of Jillian.  The dress and booties are over a hundred years old and were made for someone in Tuckers family.  The blanket she is on was knitted by Holly.  She does fantastic work. 

Here is sweet baby Violet just over 2 weeks old.  What dolls these little girls are.  And then we tried for a shot of all three...

Who is that tank in the middle. 

Two new momma's and one old one. 

And of course...all the Anderson grandkids.  There are barely enough big kids to hold the babies. 

I would have loved to send Brian home with his parents and head to Logan with the kids to visit family there for a few days since Serra was on spring break, but that would mean Brian and I would be apart on our tenth anniversary.  I didn't want that so we headed back to Vegas on Sunday afternoon.  Brian arranged with Jeff and Maren to stay with the girls over night so we could do something special on Tuesday.  Brian got a room at the Signature MGM which is a REALLY nice non gaming hotel downtown.  (Serra thought it was silly that was were staying at a hotel in the city where we live) We had to bring baby Wes because of the feeding situation but he is so good that is really wasn't a problem.  I met Brian there and I got up to the room first.  It was a really big room with a great view of the new city center that is in the process of being built.  We were in one of the penthouses.  Kitchenette, huge tub, fancy chocolates and we even had to use our key in the elevator to get to our room.  We went out to dinner at a nice prime rib place called Lowrys, and enjoyed a quiet dinner thoroughly.  Wes slept through the whole thing.  When we got back to the room Brian had arranged for some incredible roses to be delivered while we were gone.  Prettiest I have ever gotten.  We enjoyed a bubble bath, and Hagen Daz in our room and a quiet evening where we didn't have to battle the kids to bed.  We had room service in the morning and then returned to our lives.  Thanks Jeff and Maren for taking care of our bigger critters so we could celebrate our tenth.

We did a photo shoot of 3 week old Violet later in the week. 

Saturday I finally tackled the dead palm trees in our back yard and spruced up the front as well.  I am still sore from hacking away at those buggers.  They were a lot harder to get out then I thought they would be but after a full year I figured it was time.  And last Saturday Weston got his first real haircut.  He was less than enthusiastic but he sure looks like a little man now. 

I will let Brian update on the house but it is really coming along.  He is feeling a bit stressed right now.  Remember I mentioned his computer crashed...well after getting it back from the geek squad and reiterating how vital it was that they get quickbooks off before they reformatted everything, that was the only thing they neglected to retrieve.  His financials for the business for the past year are GONE.  It represents hours and hours, weeks and maybe months of make up work that he really does not have time for.  He is entering the busy season and trying to get our house done as soon as possible.  He is really feeling the weight of it all right now. 

Happy Easter

I was going to do this photo shoot next week but I did one for someone else today and had everything set up...Wes looked cute...no scratches...was in a good mood...so why not.   It looks like we are headed to Salt Lake tomorrow for Jillian's blessing.  We are headed straight back Sunday afternoon.  I think we are slightly mad but it's a chance to get all three of these babies together for a picture and we are taking it.  Mo is getting kenneled.  I definitely am not up to the challenge of three kids and a dog in a car for that many hours.

2 months old and somewhere in the 14-15 lb. range. 

     So we went to Disneyland last week.  I don't mean to make you all jealous but it couldn't have been any better.  75 degrees with a soft breeze.  No crowds.  Good deals on hotels.  Everyone was happy and healthy.  What more could we ask for.  We headed down Sunday afternoon and checked into our hotel.  We stayed onsite at the Paradise Pier.  (Fantastic rate of $149 a night)  The rooms were not FABULULOUS but the convenience was.  We took a walk that night around Downtown Disney and then settled in at a good time.  We had two queen beds so Brian and I each took a kid to cuddle and the baby slept soundly in his swing.  We got up early and ordered breakfast from room service to save time rather than try to find a better deal driving somewhere.  Not too shabby.  Then we loaded up the stroller and headed across the street to the Grand Californian where we used the "secret entrance" or the private entrance for Disney Hotel customers into California adventure.  We spent a good part of the morning and afternoon there.  Serra is officially tall enough for all the rides now and her favorite is the roller coasters, believe it or not.  So we did the switch rider thing where Brian would wait in the lines and get a pass for me to go next and not wait in line.  This way Serra got to ride everything twice.  She didn't complain.  The only hardship that day was when I tried to feed the baby and keep track of Rosie, who has a tendency to wander, at the same time.  I decided not to do that again.  We headed to Disneyland around 2 pm and Rosie was wiped out.  We decided to get some lunch and while we were juggling trays and kids Brian heard a lady say, "Little girl?  Are you ok?"  Much to his dismay Rosie had collapsed on the floor of the Pizza Port and fallen asleep.  I put the baby on the front pack and we transferred rosie to the baby seat where she slept soundly through lunch.  She was ready for round two by the time we finished.  We watched the parade that night and then headed back to the hotel which was about a 15 minute walk from the parks.  Too exhausted to do anything else we ordered room service again.  (I know we were totally living it up)

     We didn't get up as early on Tuesday morning but managed to get to the parks around opening time.  We had to load up the car first since we weren't staying there again that night.  We headed to California Adventure so "Serra" could do the roller coaster a few more times before we spent the rest of the day at Disneyland.  Trust me she didn't have to pull our arms too long for us to give in.  That is a really fun roller coaster.  Rosie thoroughly enjoyed the Merry Go Round while we took turns.  My favorite moment of the day was when we went on the Pooh ride for the first time.   We got in line and you could hear the music for Winnie the Pooh playing softly.  Rosie's eyes lit up and she exclaimed "Pooh!"  She was hollering at all the characters in glee throughout the short ride.  While we took turns on Splash Mountain she enjoyed it many more times.    We had lunch/dinner at the Blue Bayou which is the restaurant you pass by on Pirates.  Very tasty.  Rosie again collapsed in exhaustion.  Serra even laid down for a while in the darkness.  We hightailed it back to our car while the parade was going on so we could beat the crowds and headed to a new location (cheaper) for our last night. 

     The Holiday Inn gave us a great rate on Priceline ($45) which we couldn't complain about and we were so glad to get settled in that evening.  We were very tired.  (I wore a pedometer both days and we averaged a little over 10 miles per day)  The kids not as much so since they rode in the stroller most the day and had naps.  We took our time getting off on Wednesday not wanting to get back to reality.  We stopped at the new house to check on the progress and were impressed.  I can't believe we are moving so fast on this house.  We will be moving in before we know it.  We had to pick up Mo as well, much to my chagrin and then we headed home.  We've been playing catch up ever since. 

   We were assigned to speak in Sacrament Meeting last Sunday and finding time to put that together took some creative planning.  Newborn babies are sure demanding.  It's hard to write a talk while holding an infant.

   Brian has been struggling without his computer.  It got really buggy shortly after the baby blessing and so he got some anti-virus software and tried to clean it up.  Instead, it took a big crap and all he got was the blue screen of death.  For his last birthday I got him an external hard drive so he could back up all his business stuff and he was in the process of getting started on that when this happened.  It looks like most of the data is retrievable but he is without his business for the next 2 weeks.  NOT good. 

   Baby Weston just passed the 2 month mark and we will try to take pictures early next week to mark the event.   He is a really good sleeper at night and takes one grand nap in the morning and a few shorter ones throughout the day.  He is smiling and has a really cute dimple on his left cheek.  His eyes remain blue and his hair is coming in a little lighter. 

     Rosie has taken a new interest in Weston and he is not so thrilled about it.  She gets a little bit too loving and he squawks at that.  Her babble is still difficult to understand but is getting better and better all the time.  She is usually dirty and sometimes gets a bath in the morning and the evening to combat the layers she attracts.  She loves Winnie the Pooh and watching movies in the car.  She is really good most of the time if I can keep track of her.  She has a fascination with going out front and if I don't keep the doors locked she has been known to escape. 

     Serra has been struggling lately with emotions.  She cries at school when she thinks something is too  hard.  We are working on getting her to understand that we only expect her to do her best.  She is trying hard to work on being brave and just doing her best.  She has made vast learning improvements with her reading.  I think it finally clicked with her a few weeks ago and she is sounding out words and asking how to spell things so she can write.  She is sooooo helpful picking up the house and running things up and down the stairs for me.  She can even get  a breakfast of cereal ready by herself if I am running late.  I send her downstairs with Rosie and she takes care of it.  Her jobs right now are feeding  the dog, cleaning out the utensils in the dishwasher, and vacuuming the stairs. 

     But here are the pictures from trip...I know that's what you really want...

The first ride of the day.  Here we go.

I wore this thing for a lot of the time. 

Rosie is the Coppertone girl.

I think it's going to miss us!  I think it's going to miss us!

I was wrong.

Sure is bright and sunny.

Plenty wet from the river adventure and Serra was less than enthusiastic about that part.  Sweet Rose.

Rosie loves Stitch and just about ran him over when she saw him.  She doesn't quite get the line thing.  People were understanding. 

TOWER OF TERROR!

Rosie and her finger in its favorite spot.    Sweet Serra....waiting for Mr. Toads Wild Ride.

Rosie's size lend itself to the best seat in the house.  This expression makes it all worth it. 

Still enthusiastic after a long day.  Watching the parade... I love how Rosie is trying to turn Brian's head in the direction she is looking. 

Again...Rosie's face...priceless. 

We stayed at the Paradise Pier...to the right of the giant orange.

Someone's been drinking all his milk....a seriously chubby baby.  Nice one Serra.

And once again...priceless expressions.

The roller coaster.

...and yes I know where the cameras are.  Find Serra.

Chubby cute baby with awesome hair. 

Hey! Let's get this show on the road. 

Serra's ride is posing for the picture too. 

Waiting in line....

...not a problem for Rosie...

...who unlike Serra who gets bored...

...finds amusement anywhere.  

Serra had to ride the toon town roller coaster alone since I was with Rosie. 

Breaking out.... and off to Neverland.

All three kids.    Rosie..ready for a nap has a breakdown while waiting in line to see Pooh and Tigger.  She still wanted hugs and a picture though.

Tigger delivers...   and yes I know where that camera is too. 

Settling in and heading to the next attraction.

Dinner at the Blue Bayou

At least she got a little nourishment....

...before she crashed. 

We win!

Serra helps take the luggage in to the last hotel. 

Pam just updated with some great photos/video of our activities the last week. Don't forget to scroll down to check those out. 

Here's the latest on the house build;

A week ago Wednesday (2/20) we finally poured the concrete.  I arranged for eleven trucks full of concrete, a concrete crane, and a large group of workers to show up at 6:00 AM that morning.  We technically aren't supposed to begin work till 7:00 in the neighborhood but knowing the size of the pour and the forecast of rain in the late afternoon I decided it'd be easier to say sorry to my neighbors later.  I pulled on to the job at about 5:45 and everybody was already there getting in to position and the three trucks were starting to line up to the crane.

The crane itself is pretty impressive as it can reach up to 110'.  It has a giant hopper that the concrete trucks back up to and unload the mud in to and then conveyer belts take it to the end of the boom and dump it.  There's something inside of me that loves being on construction jobs with big equipment and lots of action...love it! Here's some pictures of the festivities.

The pour actually went great until the rain came with a vengeance in the late afternoon.  Unfortunately we had just finished pouring the garage floors but fortunately the main pad was already dry enough that it didn't suffer any damage.  I'm thankful for the group of guys I had as they waited out the rain for about an hour and it ended up clearing enough that we were able to salvage the garage concrete.  It turned out great!  In all we poured 117 yards of mud.  Yikes.

Two days later the framing crew showed up and they've being going like gangbusters ever since.  I've been very grateful to my Dad for spending a lot of time doing "on the job" engineering in order to make everything work just right.  We've been on the horn with the truss company making final changes in order to compensate for last minute changes and adjustments due to the concrete slab beign a wee bit off. 

It's now been  a week and two days since the concrete went down and we lifted our trusses today.  Getting the trusses here was a bit of an adventure as we buy them from an outfit out of St. George and they were very "oversized".  I'm not sure how he did it w/o killing anyone as the trusses were actually hanging well in to the other lane of traffic.

Anyhow, like the pump, it was exciting to have a giant crane on the lot lifting the heavy trusses in to place.  Pam actually posted a video of the crane in action at the end of her last post.

This next week we'll be buttoning up the rough framing, start framing in the drop ceiling/details, and start doing the "top out" of the plumbing, setting of the electrical panel/wires, and the HVAC unit.  Fun Fun!!!

Some of you were wondering... Adriane had her baby on February 28th at 11:30 pm...talk about getting in under the wire.  Baby Violet is beautiful and looks a lot like her daddy.  8 lbs. 9oz and 20 inches long are the stats.

Here are some shots of me and the boy.

And here are some videos spanning the past few weeks.  The last is of the trusses that were put on the house today. 

Well, I am officially recovered from this weekend.  Actually, there wasn't anything to recover from.  It was great to have so much family and support for Westons blessing.  I actually already finished this entry and my hand hit a button and suddenly my entire entry disappeared into cyberspace.  I had been saving it along the way too.  I have no idea where it went or what happened.  I am slightly distraught though as it represented about an hours worth of work and each minute is precious nowadays.  To start again....

Friday last, folks started to trickle in at the dinner hour.  By Saturday, nearly all the Arnells were in town...minus Gary's family.  We took advantage of the beautiful and warm weather and took the kids to a nearby park.  After lunch we headed out to the new house.  I was anxious for everyone to see what we have been working on this past year.  The walls are starting to be put up.  It is surreal to see in 3D what I have been seeing on paper for so long.  Progress is fast now that the foundation is laid.  Jeff and the rest of the Logan crew that arrived early that morning met us back at our place and we fed the masses.  Then the younger, hipper, more adventurous crew headed to the strip to see the sites and drop a few quarters.  (Shame, shame, you know your name)  While they were gone I rewarded those that stayed behind with oreo pie. 

Sunday morning we all made it to church with time to spare.  Brian gave Weston a beautiful blessing.  He is officially Weston Burton Anderson.  He was blessed with health...that his body would grow without hinderance or illness...that his mind would be quickened and that he would learn and grow intellectually.  He was blessed to be a peacemaker...to be mindful of others needs...to be a leader among his peers...that he may stand up as an example for others to look to.   He was blessed with a sensitivity to the spirit...to avoid danger and resist temptation...that he may realize the joy that comes from righteous living.   He was blessed to be strong in the gospel, to honor the priesthood, and fullfil all that is required to return to our Heavenly Father.  We feel so blessed to have this little spirit in our family.  He fills a gap we knew needed filling in our family. 

After the meeting we headed back to our house.  By then we had the entire Arnell family here.  It is the first time in we don't even know how long that we have all been together.  A few grandchildren and spouses have been added since then.  From the Andersons we had Mom and Dad, Adriane (ready to pop with her first baby) and Vito, and a few friends, the Shah family, and Spencer and Meagan Beals.  When all was said and done we enjoyed and fed 35 people in our not so big house.  I was wishing that we had our new place finished so their was room for everyone but no one complained and the food was good.  Maren and Diane helped me out with some soups, salad, and breads.  Folks started to trickle out as the day went on and by evening we had only Mom and Dad Arnell and Julie and her girls left. 

Monday morning the lady folk took advantage of Dad's willingness to sit with the kidlets and we ran a few more errands.  One of those was to Costco.  I had gone last week and I guess I was frazzled with kids and time restraints and ended up coming home with less than I paid for I also noticed that I hadn't received credit for the coupons I gave the checker.  By the time I got all the mistakes taken care of I was in the black an extra $50...  A worthwhile trip even if we hadn't picked up dinner and fruit snacks.    We made it back just in time to get Serra off to school and then the rest of us went to enjoy the gardens and the fountain show at the Bellagio.  I had to go check out the progress at the lot as well.  We sent Dad home with a few of the kids and headed to the outlets for some last minute shopping.  By the time we got home the kids were starving and Jeff and Maren had joined us as well.  We partied  and blew out a candle for Olivia and Maren who have Birthdays this weekend. 

Tuesday the Logan crew left.  I am now preparing us for our trip to Disneyland this coming weekend. 

Auntie Serra  checks out the boy.

The little girls (especially Serra) enamored with the newest family member, Melissa, Davids fiance.

Uncle Dallas and Serra V

The kids brave the elements during lunch time. 

The rest of us crowd indoors.

Daddy gets his first smile.

Sometimes people get too close and I can't focus so well.

This is a complete group.  Some folks are happier than others.

This was about as good as it got with Rosie not cooperating.

I used to love to comb my dad's hair...now Serra thinks it's the thing to do and talks Grandpa into it in the evenings.  Check out the majorly sparkley thing. 

Watching the fountain show. 

Celebrating birthdays a few days early.  Livvy is sure big for "1"

It was a living room picnic.  Grandpa can sleep through anything.

Baby Wes handsome in his blessing duds. 

Too cute to not post.  The light has turned on in Westons eyes this week.  He is responding to us now and we can coax a smile out of him if he is in the right mood. 

On the house front.  The house is nearly completely framed now and on Saturday a giant crane will place the trusses (sp?) in place.  I plan on taking the girls out for the show.  They are working on the sheeting of the outside now.  We will take pictures and post them after our trip to the happy place. 

It's been a busy week.  I have been busy trying to get ready for a slew of company this weekend.  I have a small window of time in the morning when Weston is sleeping soundly.  Then the rest of the day he doesn't nap as well for long periods.  So I am like a mad woman from 8-12 in the morning trying to get the bulk of my chores done.  We have fit some fun things in.  Last Saturday we went to the snow.  There is a good sledding spot 30 minutes from our place so Brian and took the kids.   I pulled out my baby front pack and Baby Wes slept the whole time nice and cozy.  The girls had a good time.  Monday we invited Grandma and Grandpa Anderson and went bowling.  Serra loves to bowl ever since we went with Jeff and Maren.  This time Rosie joined in the fun.  Good times.

Serra lost her other bottom tooth while we were out to dinner a few weeks ago.

Sweet cozy baby

Sometimes he sleeps through all the fun...ok..all the time.  We were bowling here.  He was snoozing.

Awesome shoes....Awesome scowl...

The Grandma whom Rosie gets her looks and coloring...but perhaps not her habits. 

I would have bragging rights....except...I used bumpers.  I am not a very good bowler.

Well it was a bit of a downer last week on the project as we ran in to availability issues with my excavation guy as well as more work than anticipated on getting the pad ready for concrete.  We pushed real hard to get things ready for inspection on Friday with hopes of a pass so that we could pour either Saturday or today.  As luck would have it we failed inspection and with the holiday it pushed us back to a Tuesday inspection.  Not a big deal other than just wanting to keep pushing.  Current schedule has us pouring Wednesday, chalk out and get materials dropped Thursday and start framing Friday/Saturday. 

Here's some pics;

Here's the shot of the rebar.  The rebar/pad actually passed inspection but the inspector didn't like how in some areas the dirt on the outside of the footings was too shallow.  Not a big deal at all structurally and something easily taken care of by an engineering letter from Dwaine....but alas...it delayed us.

This is my excavators kid.  His wife just started working an afternoon job so she has had to bring both their kids to the jobsite to hang out with Dad.  I end up "tending" them while their Dad works on my job.  Either way, I wasn't doing a great job of watching and this kids older sister was pouring fine dirt all over him.  He was covered head to toe...looked like the guy from the movie Powder.  Anyhow, the shot on the right is my plumber running his hand through the kid's hair and the dust coming off of him "pig-pen" style.