Here are my 25 things.  Don't forget to check out Brian's below.  He was surprised I posted them.

1. I love Disneyland.  I didn't discover this until a few months before we moved from CA.  I feel like I wasted good D-Land time the 3 years we lived there.  We ended up going 7 times that year. 

2.  I love to watch movies...even more now that we have the ultimate movie watching room.  The movie theatre is the best but let's be honest...after paying for a babysitter and for the movie and treats you have to dip into your savings to afford it.  I prefer happy pretty movies though...none of the politically correct garbage that wins all the awards. 

3.  Brian and I have been married for almost 11 years and we have never had a fight.  We dig each other.

4.  I didn't date at all in High School.  I felt like dating was to find someone to marry and I had no intention of getting married any time close to high school.  Although I dated a little in college I actually told guys no without giving them a chance.  (If you saw the freaks that approached me you would understand)  I just knew I would know him when I met him.  Just when I started wondering if he was killed in the war in heaven he showed up.   I was nearly 25 and in Utah that's old maid status.  But boy-oh-boy was he worth waiting for. 

5.  I always enjoy food I don't have to cook more than food I prepare.  It's not that I am a bad cook...I am actually quite good (ask my husband). 

6.  I love to sleep.  I love the feeling of climbing in bed at the end of the day...the kids are all asleep and it's quiet and I can just melt into my mattress. 

7.  I am happiest and most productive when my house is clean.  It's a major effort though with 3 (4 if you count Mo the dog- who I dislike intensely) tornados running around making disasters where I have just cleaned.  (I don't count Brian because although he tends to be messy it is usually confined to his office and I can just close the door...and I do)

8.  I've never had a manicure or pedicure. 

9.  I don't get nastalgic about houses or cars.  When they have served out their purpose I am happy enough to move on. 

10.  I think candy is a waste of calories...that, and it leaves that gross fuzzy film on my teeth and I hate that.  I don't enjoy eating it except for a piece of good quality chocolate now and then.

11.  In my vain youth I swore I would never drive a mini-van...guess what I drive...Honda Odyssey.  And guess what...I LOVE IT!

12.  I love photography.  I take great pleasure in capturing something beautiful ( usually my children).  I also love browsing  through others family photos. 

13.  A life changing event for me was when Brian rolled the car with 2 year old Serra in the back seat, and walked away unscathed.  The thought of what might have been made me take a long hard look at my life.  I am so thankful they are still here with me.

14.  The most magical time in my life has been the first moments with each of my brand new babies. 

15.  I was the first car in a six car pile-up on I-15 during a blizzard.  It was the first time I had ever driven in the snow (bad timing for a blizzard) and the guy in front of me slammed on his brakes when he saw the 30 car pile-up ahead.  I reacted by doing the same to miss him and my truck started fish tailing.  I spun several times and slammed into a snow bank followed by five other cars.  The highway was closed shortly after that and I spent the night on a wrestling mat in a middle school in Fillmore, UT.  Good times. 

16.  My husband is perfect for me.  He fufills all the fantasies I ever dreamed up in a husband.

17.  I love being pregnant.  Except for a few minor annoyances I feel healthier and better than any other time in my life. 

18.  I love this country.  I can't imagine living somewhere else.  However, I feel lilke it's going to Hell in a socialistic handbasket.  (Am I being too pesimistic)

19.  I don't mind long road trips...even with my kids.  We took a 4000 mile one just a few years ago and it was absolutely fantastic. 

20.  I consider my siblings my best friends but my husband is my bestest best friend. 

21.  My mom is the greatest example of how I want to be as a mother and if I am able to be even 1/2 of what she is I will consider myself successful. 

22.  When I was in school sometimes my best efforts only resulted in C's.  It was really aggrivating back then but now I realize I have been blessed with other strengths (like common sense) and I'm OK with not being a total scholastic brainiac.  (Have you ever noticed that some of the smartest people are completely lacking in common sense?)

23.  I HATE Mary Kaye "parties"...as well as any other similiar "party".  If I like the product I would rather order it and have it delivered in the mail.  (Sorry if you are a peddler of said products)

24.  I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  I attribute the happiness I have experienced all my life to living by my religious convictions. 

25.  I have 3 fantastic and beautiful children and one on the way.  There was a time when I thought this reality would never happen.  I can't believe how blessed I am. 

If you are interested I have just made public a Serraism from January 5th.  Also...I saw this bumper sticker yesterday that made me realize that parents have indeed lowered the expectations for their children substantially. 

MY SON WAS INMATE OF THE MONTH AT COUNTY JAIL. 

Tithing blessings

With the cutting back on everything in order to survive the slowdown with work there are a few necessary costs that come up that make me cringe.  On top of my regular OB I have to see a Perinatalogist as well because of my blood clot disorder, miscarriage history, and ADVANCED MATERNAL AGE (and oh how I love to hear that one).  The Perinatalogist is very expensive and they require full payment at time of service.  I had an appointment last wednesday and they called me the day before to let me know my portion not covered by insurance was going to be $680.  YIKES!  I seriously thought about canceling and calling my OB and telling him I'd take the risk of not seeing the specialist.  We decided to go anyway.  When I got there they figured out that I had a new insurance than the one I had with Weston and the deductable had already been met and so my portion would only be $80.  WHEW!  That was a major relief...but it gets better.  Then the receptionist comes out and hands me a post it note with $109 written on it.  It turns out that when I  had the amnio with Weston the insurance paid more than they expected and therefore I had a credit.  (I wonder why they didn't send me a check back in early 2008 - I wonder how many other such folks are holding onto such "credits"?)

There has been at least one incident per week that I consider a tithing blessing.   Funny thing...the blessings seem to be adding up to how much we are paying...hmmmm.

I feel like I'm getting things done in slow motion around here.  I have good intentions of doing all sorts of things but then the urge to take a nap takes over, or Wes is cutting another tooth that day and is fussy and want's to be held.  He is working on 2 sets of molars right now and quite fussy.  I'm looking forward to crossing over to the 2nd trimester and the renewed energy that goes with it.  I am still having a hard time grasping that we're having another baby.  I'm so used to the months of planning etc.  that usually accompany's this sort of thing and the fact that this week marks the end of the 1st trimester blows me away. 

I can't believe January is nearly behind us.  Serra started school again on the 5th but has today and next Friday off.  With my regular doctor and the specialist that I have to see I am at the doctor at least once a week.  We have all visited the dentist this past month and Weston has had a well check as well.  I think we've had our share of doctors offices.  The effort and planning it takes to get to those wears me out and that usually means I'm done for the day.  Nobody seems to be suffering too badly though.  We have managed a day of sledding in there somewhere and a family picnic day at the park. 

Things have slowed done with the construction business to a pace that makes Brian lose sleep.  We are exploring other options, however, it seems everyone is desperate for work which makes for a lot more competition.  We know that the things that are truly important are still in line and we'll be fine, but for a father with so much responsibility on his shoulders, knowing that doesn't help with the sleep factor.   

So first a video that encompasses a few birthdays and the sledding.  Then a whole slew of pictures to go along with the same stuff.

This was how Weston's photo shoot began the other day.  But you saw how it turned out so it's all good. 

Wes wasn't impressed with the snow or sled.

Serra got clobbered by another sledder who was old enough to know when to bail off in order to avoid taking out small children.  She got pounded into the snow pretty hard. 

...but quickly recovered

Rosie thought it was AWESOME!

Do these expressions leave any doubt.

And yes he smelled like cake until the bath. 

Trying on the new jammies.

He's a good sport about all the helpers. 

I thought you might like this one again.  Wes apparently likes lasagna....and he always seems to have purpose in his stride. 

This was the official destroy the birthday cake moment.  He was hesitant until someone gave him a taste...then it was sayonara birthday cake. 

I took Brian to Lowry's for his birthday.  I also took myself.  Tasty.  I love birthdays.  I told them it was his birthday and he got free cake...Brian told them if they didn't sing he would leave a bigger tip.  They left after delivering the cake. 

We decided to take a Saturday afternoon and have a picnic at the park.  Thanks to the Colonel, it was no hassle for me.  The kids only request was a park with swings.  That is where they spent most their time. 

And that is January in a nutshell so far. 

I am going to do a more extensive update tomorrow...or at least that is the plan.  I got laundry done, my talk for Sacrament meeting done, the house isn't too disgusting, and I even managed a nap today.  It's a good day.  So I thought in case I am not as productive tomorrow I will let you at least glimpse the birthday boy now.  He turned 1 on Sunday and I frankly can't believe it's been a year already.  In some ways if feel like a very long year and in other ways very short.  We had a little party at Brian's folks place on Sunday.  Weston's Mommy and Daddy, little girl cousins, helpful present opening sisters, some aunties and uncles, and some adoring grandparents made up the party.  Weston came away smelling like birthday cake (pictures of that later), and came away with plenty of toys to keep him busy for the next year.  He got some new duds some of which he is sporting in his photo session.  He also had his 12 month check up this week as well.  He weighed in at 24.6 lbs (75th%)  and is 31.5 inches tall (95th%) much to his daddy's pleasure. (For some reason Brian is slightly worried that Wes will take after my side of that family and be towered over by his amazon sisters)  Enough babble...Here is the boy!

Weston Burton Anderson...1Year Old!

And my favorite...Who Da Man!

Serra has heard us talking about Uncle Dallas recently and the possibility that he might marry Melinda.  She came up to me the other day with a very serious look on her face.  "Mom, I have some very bad news"  I asked her what.  She paused dramatically, not wanting to break this message of doom and gloom to me but knowing she must.  "Uncle Dallas and Melinda are not going to get married."  I wondered what kind of insider information she had and decided I needed to know.  I asked her how she knew that to which she replied. "The Magic 8 Ball. It said, 'My sources tell me no.'"  So there you have it. 

Sorry no pictures in this post, but I will get to that shortly.  Now that Christmas is past and New Years nearly there I have a few birthdays to plan for and then maybe a rest. 

This last week has been a whirlwind of emotions for us here in the Anderson household.  As you saw in the last post I found out 10 days ago I am expecting #4 Anderson critter.  I was surprised, to say the least, and excited but managed to keep that tidbit of news to myself for 3 days so I could surprise Brian Christmas morning.  It came off without a hitch and now he is reeling as well.  For those of you that don't know, it has been an adventure to obtain each one of our children.  Pills, needles, and surgeries were required for each one and there were 3 miscarriages in there as well.  (Brian jokes that we may have the kids paid for by the time they move out)  We made the decision that Weston would be the last time we involved fertility treatments.  We would do what we had to do to get that third one and then we would just relax. 

The day I found out we were out on an FHE excursion with the kids and Brian and I were discussing finances.  He said he was going to cancel our health insurance the next day until things with the business picked up or he found other work.  I asked him to hold off until after Christmas.  I'm glad he didn't cancel without letting me know that was on his mind. 

I was able to get a doctors appointment for the following monday, the 29th.  So for a full week I could only guess at how far along I was.  When I say "guess" I mean really guess because I have no cycle to speak of.  I thought I was probably 6-7 weeks along because of when I started noticing symptoms.  I was feeling a little anxious because two of my previous miscarriages were around week six and the third was sometime between 8-11 weeks.  I asked Brian for a blessing on Sunday morning.  He was able to give me the reassurance I needed.  This pregnancy will go full term.  Heavenly Father is pleased with the way we are raising our children and so is entrusting us with another.  What a blessing!  I went into my appointment on Monday excited to find out my official due date.  It has to be done by measuring the baby by ultrasound since I have no other dates by which to measure.  So I was SHOCKED when the baby was measured and I was told I am at 9WEEKS already.  This is going to be the shortest pregnancy ever.  Usually I know before the 4 week mark.  Holy Cow!  And since I tend to go 2-3 weeks before my due date this babe will be here before I know it.  So THAT is why we are reeling around here.  Little Weston will only be 18 months which to me is still a baby. 

I am now taking the progesterone as a added precaution which increases queasiness.  I don't mind it too much though as it is manageable and the sicker I feel the more reassured I am that baby is doing good.  So many things make sense now as I look back.  I typically gain 5-10 pounds the first month and then not anymore until the 2nd trimester.  Right around Thanksgiving I gained 5 pounds and I attributed it to the feasting with the family for days and the sitting around for a week.  However, upon returning home I was doing my gym routine from Jeff 4-5 days a week and watching the food intake.  I gained another 2 pounds.  I was getting really frustrated.  I was willing to let that slide but I had also felt a little flu like for a few weeks.  Nothing serious but I felt off.  I mentioned to a few people including Brian who asked me "are you pregnant?"  No.  That's not possible.  I also broke out in teenage like acne which I barely had even as a teenager.  I attributed it to the increased sweating at the gym and possibly the increased chocolate intake (although there wasn't too much of that because it just didn't taste good to me-another obvious symptom)  Also, I haven't had a Big Mac since I was 12 but a few weeks ago I just had to have one and it tasted sooooo good.  But when that particular Monday before Christmas I almost hurled my breakfast back up I thought I better take a test...just in case...it will be negative of course...but just in case.  When it came back positive I put it aside went to the store and got another one and retested.  When Brian found out that the second one came from the dollar store he wanted another test done but I reminded him the first one was from the drug store that I paid more than a dollar for it.  At least all my clothes still fit and should for a bit longer. 

So wish us luck.  2009 is going to be full of adventures.  I get to be maxed out pregnant during the HOTTEST part of the Las Vegas summer.  My due date is August 5th but if history repeats itself I will have a gigantor baby and deliver 2-3 weeks early.  My sister Julie is due July 10th.  So if she goes late at all my mom is going to have to make a choice.  If both babies are girls the blessing dress situation is going to be complicated.  ( We share a family heirloom dress)  So here is to Julie going at least a week before her due date and to at least one of us having a boy.  If anyone in the family is thinking about getting married and wants either of us to attend or be available to help with pictures may I suggest a spring wedding.  (Early spring)

Twas' four days before Christmas,

I was feeling quite sick.

If you want to know why...

Just watch this clip.

Wonders never cease.

This never happened to me.

Not getting pregnant.

But getting pregnant for free!

Doctors, drugs, and needles

Are the typical recipe.

But this time it happened

the way it should be. 

So keep us in mind

When you are on your knees.

We need your good vibes

So this will end happily.

At nearly 7 weeks

It's a really good sign

I was puking this morning

With a smile all the while. 

Two out of three times I miscarried right around the six week mark.  I am past that now but don't feel secure until after the first trimester.  So we are letting our fans in on the news early this time hoping for good vibes sent our way....that and we are so excited we can hardly stand it.  We planned on Wes being our last fertility effort.  We decided that if Heavenly Father had any more little spirits for us then he would send them to us.  The next few weeks will tell. 

So I think I got all the pictures up.  I think the best thing to do is just go through and look at those.  I don't think I'm going to get to much of a dialogue.  We went to Logan for Thanksgiving.  It was great to spend time with nearly everyone.  We took the kids on an outing to the places where Brian and I first met.  Serra loves that mushy stuff.  Also since we have been back I have tried to be a good mom and do holiday related stuff every week with the kids.  We went to the Bellagio and saw the gardens all decked out and the fountain set to music.  (Josh Groban-Oh Holy Night)  That was cool.  We also attempted a light tour for FHE this last week but were thwarted slightly by the wind.  We have done the tree decorating, gingerbread houses, Christmas shopping where the kids pick out gifts for others, candy making, and tree decorating.  We also use our Christmas plates every night.  I don't know if anyone noticed.  Tonight is Christmas Eve and we are having a fancy dinner here so I really gotta get going.  But the stockings are hung and the gifts are wrapped and I THINK we are ready.  Pictures. 

I don't go out onto the patio very often and one day in late November Brian brought to my attention that I hadn't thrown out the pumpkins from Halloween yet.  Ooops!  They were oozing and moldy.  I had to use a shovel.  Gross.

Brian finished his Bridge project. 

Sister Serra had a baby shower.  She obviously needed some help opening gifts. 

It seems Wes always needs a haircut.

Katrina boogered the only picture I had with Serra.  Rosie didn't help either. 

Chilly day.  Cozy fire with the cousins. 

Adventure walk...it was COOOOLD.  The kids had fun and collected such treasures as a battery, key, some striped rocks and some reeds.  The little ones wanted to ride rather than explore. 

Serra had my camera for a while and took this lovely shot as well as many of Olivia.

I love it when Wes sits like this. 

Lot's of folks for the big feast.

The kid table. 

The newlyest wed ones first official T-day. 

Wes joins in the feast and eats all but the turkey.  Vienna sausages were on his menu.

A beautiful sight. 

Nice mom. 

And the tryptophan  kicks in.  I didn't know Vienna sausages had it too.

This is the site and the fire ring where Brian and Pam got to know about each others stupid human tricks on the first night they met. 

Some cousins pause long enough from playing to take a picture.  I literally didn't  see Serra for the whole week we were there. 

I took the pictures at Serra's shower and I promise you will get them Serra.  Julie was very excited and enthusiastic. 

This was at the Bellagio gardens.  The background didn't turn our so well but Rosie's faces did.

Wes missed the whole thing. 

This kid can sleep anywhere.  Here is some more evidence.  And below...the kids decorate the tree.  Notice how Rosie put all hers in the same spot.  The tree got very heavy on that one side. 

This is going to be a problem.

The gingerbread houses.

Wes sat with us and ate graham crackers and milk. 

I got up the next morning to Mo on the table eating the windows and candy off one side.  There were plenty of foot prints on the table to indicate he tried other areas.  Those who have made these know that the frosting is like cement once it dries.  I think this was the only part he could get loose. 

And The Santa...

Wes was not impressed at all...I don't think Santa was either. 

The angel choir.  Nice Rosie...

Oh boy! Another tree to dismantle.  That's it folks.  Merry Christmas.