Ian & Amber

Lindsay, Liam and I were able to travel to Alberta this last weekend to attend my cousin's (Amber) wedding in Calgary. We were also able to stay with our friends, Kyle and Kassy in Sundre while out there. The wedding was on Sunday at Foothills Alliance Church, NW end part of the city. It was great to be there to celebrate and visit with the Derksen family. It was a beautiful wedding.

Kelly & Janine

Back in March Liam and I traveled to Saskatoon to celebrate with my cousin, Janine and her husband Kelly. They got married in Hawaii in February and at this afternoon wedding shower we were able to enjoy watching footage from the wedding and pictures that were taken on the island. They are a great couple and it was fun seeing them and celebrating with them. Oh...and Lindsay...Hawaii looks great for a anniversary one of these years. :)

Will the thumb be green this summer?

That's the question I always ask on the outset of gardening season. Will it rain? Will it be too dry? Did I remember to plant the cucumbers just right? Do I have a two year old helping me plant this thing? The only answer I know is to the last question. Have you ever had a two year old help in the garden? Mostly it's fun when I remember that the perfectionist in me is best left uncovered. It's been fun having Liam help out. I'm guessing that some day he might not want to be seen in the same room with us old folks so I want to soak up all this attention I get from him while I have it. Of course he loves to water and dig. Even when the digging is happening where things have already been planted. That happened this afternoon and I must admit a little tension could be detected in my voice. There comes the perfectionist again. :) We are just about done the planting process. I just need to find places for my herbs and some flowers. I have a flower bed that goes around the south and east of the house. It's a mess and needs some work but thankfully there are already perennials there. I feels great to be outside and not be freezing. It felt like a long spring and it's so good to have the warmth. To those of you that are also planting and weeding...happy gardening!

We're Still Here

Just when life starts to slow down, our camera dies and has to be sent away for repairs. I was thinking about blogging the other day and the fact that I can't post any pictures. Can I write anything worth reading without pictures to accompany it? I have friends that are good at that. I also really enjoy writing but find lately that my brain doesn't get to use that part of itself much. I could write about how after being potty trained for a few months, Liam has reverted back to peeing in his pants. Usually not so much that he needs to be changed but enough to throw up one's hands and say, "why, what's with this? Or I could write about what most of you know. We are expecting our second little one at the end of November. So needless to say life on the "how am I feeling" front has not been 100% but I've been learning how to cope with the nausea. I am 13 weeks now and hope that by moving into the second trimester I will start to feel more myself. That's what happened with the last one at least. We are getting ready to plant the garden. Lindsay is working until the end of June and then will have about two months off. We will end to Wisconsin at the end of June to visit family and will come back and spend most of the time left in the summer around home. All in all we are doing well. If I come up with any "gotta write that in the blog" moments I will let you know. :)

Recent Photo Shoot

Brownie anyone?

I shouldn't be encouraging such behaviour...but he looked so cute!

Liam and the porcelain throne

No, that's not a clever title for a children's book I'm thinking about publishing. :) Liam and I started working on the whole potty training thing on January 22. That was not a fun day. Liam was stuffed with candy and even more liquids and I was tried of having my whole world revolve around Liam's bladder. I decided to go with the "Potty Training in a Day" method that a few people had suggested. Teaching him what to do in the bathroom only took a day but it took a little while longer than that for him to understand that when he felt the need he should go in the potty. Those first few days were not fun but the results have been good with Liam. I was very surprised that he caught on so quickly. I had heard many people say that boys often take longer to train. He now is day trained with the occasional accident and goes through the night without a diaper or pull up. I'm so proud of him!

I thought the Burger King was bigger!

Christmas Day at the Andersons

NBC Christmas Banquet

OT Skits

Lindsay revived an old NBC tradition this year as Old Testament Survey Prof when he included OT Skits on the syllabus. In two separate evenings the school gathers to watch the freshmen students perform the event in the passages of scripture that Lindsay has assigned them. Often these evenings are filled with laughter as students add their humor to the things they have studied. This year was no exception. They did a good job of working with the text. These pictures feature our cousin Taylor. I sadly forgot to bring my camera for the second evening when he play King Solomon. Never thought I would see him in short pants and tall socks. Sure glad he is here.

Kissing "Noah"

Before Christmas we were walking through the hardware store and Liam kept saying "Noah" as we walked to the till. I looked up and saw a display featuring Santa Claus. Thanks to several picture books we've read to Liam he believes that everyone with a beard is Noah and should have a large boat with lots of animals in it. Here he is at my Aunt Elaine and Uncle Aaron's house on Christmas Day giving Noah a kiss.

Oh that Uncle Brad

Who else would buy Liam a chick magnet shirt but the original?! :)

Our Calvin Klein ad

Liam was standing like this one day and I had the camera handy. Thought it was cute.

Our New Place

This only shows you a little of our place. I will post some more soon. This was all I could get one day before the camera batteries died. This shows our kitchen, dining and living room area. One of the bathrooms (the other is a small one off the master bedroom). Our guest room. I still need to take pictures of our bedroom, the craft room/office, Liam's bedroom and Liam's playroom/library.

The 2 year old Jesus the Magi visit

We had our Sunday School Christmas Program last night and the three of us play Joseph, Mary and Jesus...the 2 year old version that the wise men visited. We had fun. Liam was really cute in his little bathrobe. Eating cookies and playing with his friend Jordan were the highlights of the night for him.

Thanksgiving Celebration in the 4plex

The married students that didn't go anywhere for the weekend, Jenny (the enrollment director for NBC) and the three of us got together for a potluck dinner. We had a fun time of fellowship and lots of food. We played a rousing game of Scattegories. II don't think turkey only makes you tired. I have a feel it also makes a person giddy, where things that usually wouldn't be fun, are. I definitely makes the game more fun. :) The little guy in the picture is Elijah. He and his mom and dad live just below us in the suite we used to occupy. Ivan is a second year student.

Doing the Dishes...giving Mommy a break!

Just Chillin'

I found Liam like this one day. Maybe he needed a longer nap that day. I was surprised that he managed to stay in that position while I ran for the camera.

Thanksgiving in Nipawin

With Lindsay being away for most of the weekend (soccer tourney in Swift Current), we decided not to go to Saskatoon this year. It was great to have Dad & Mom, Nanny, Ian, Adrian and Brooklyn come up for lunch and a visit. The meal was delicious, the visit was great and the kids had a blast playing together. We took the opportunity to take some pictures and they turned out well.

Bath Tub Shots - does this ever get old?

It is so neat to look back and see how much Liam has grown since he first came home from the hospital. The bath tub shots are easy to put side by side and see this transformation.

Knitted Scarf, Mittens and Hat from Oma

Soccer Tourney in September

Lindsay organized the tournament that we hosted in September. The week after school started. Yikes...didn't give the teams a lot of time to prepare. They had a lot of fun though. Lindsay coached the girls team and Matt Thiessen coached the guys. Go Royals! A highlight was watching and cheering on my cousin Taylor, who came from Wisconsin to attend NBC this year.

Our #1 Soccer Fan

Liam and I were watching soccer this last weekend. A student took this picture during the NBC men's last game. Friday was cold but Saturday was sunny and somewhat warm. The leaves are turning, the teams are playing soccer and school is in full swing. One of my favorite times of year. I was telling someone the other day that I feel so much when I watch our teams play soccer. Whether they win or loss I am just so proud of them. Not unlike how I feel when we watch them walk across the stage to receive their diplomas at grad. It is a neat feeling. Thankful to be used by God to be a part of some of their lives and excited for them as they try new things and are challenged. As I sit in the crowd at Grad or cheer from the sidelines of soccer match I feel the same pride I do when I watch Liam do something for the first time. I reminds me that in both circumstances we have been given an amazing privilege. I am so thankful for where God has placed us in ministry.