Summer

Here are some shots from the last few weeks. Hope you are all enjoying the warmer days where you are.

The boy has a green thumb

This is the third year now that Liam has helped me plant all the potatoes. It has definitely become a tradition in the Anderson home, or should I say garden? Each year Liam is able to help a little more than the last and this year he finished off a row all by himself. I was so proud of him. This tradition is actually partly responsible for why Liam likes eating potatoes. As a 2 1/2 year old he was not crazy about them at the supper table until I was able to tell him that what had put on his plate (once again) was a potato that he planted! He stopped, looked at me, looked at the potato and proceed to inhale it like his mother would a piece of double chocolate cheesecake. Ever since he has been fascinated with the process and loves to have his afternoon snack in the garden among the veggies and raspberries. That's it, I've mentioned cheesecake and raspberries in the same blog. I think my subconscious is telling me that I need to make some dessert :)

I Brad, take you Rachel

The day has come. Last weekend my brother Brad asked Rachel to marry him! They plan to get married this fall, probably in September. For those of you scrapbookers out there, Brad called me up last Friday and asked where I would go if I needed to purchase a really cool scrapbook. I gave him some direction and then he proceeded to explain his plan. He was going to put together a scrapbook for Rachel and then tie the ring with ribbon to the last page. Apparently it went over very well. I'm excited to see the ring he picked out. For those of you that don't know Rachel. She's great! She and Brad were students at Nipawin Bible College together and dated while here that year. They decided to end it at that point and got back together after a couple, three years. Not sure on the exact dates. We are super excited that she's going to be a part of the family. It actually feels like has been that already. We are thankful for God's timing and his plan.

I'm still a cityslicker aren't I?

Yes, after almost nine years of living in Nipawin, Saskatoon has gradually lost it's position of "home". Lindsay and I will be celebrating 10 years of marriage in the fall and we've lived here for most of it. We've had wonderful times up here and I have had a chance to broaden my experiences. The city has many things that we love but I had never been quadding or snowmobiling before we moved up here. I think that fact was really obvious to my friend Joanne two years ago when I ran her quad into a bush, thankfully it was not a tree and she's very patient! Lindsay learned more about farming when he worked at large operation south of town for two summers. I tried water skiing for the first time in Codette Lake. I pick Saskatoon berries...in the wild! I've learned how to garden. I've been to a pig roast or two...where you actually watch the impaled pig turn around and around over the fire while you fellowship and play games. At first the thought of this kinda grossed me out but then I tasted it. Yum. I've been on several sleigh rides with real horses, a real sleigh and real people getting pushed off. :) I've even got used to hearing coyotes in the middle of the night. I know they say they rarely come onto campus but some nights it sounds like they're so close that they could just as easily be in my kitchen, opening up the fridge and having a midnight snack. I feel like I've come a long way from my city years but other times, like the other day, I realize I have a ways to go.

Horses. Beautiful creatures but I definitely lack the confidence. I'm sure my lack of confidence comes from my lack of knowledge but the few horror stories I've heard about broken backs has left me unwilling to dive in...or climb up, as the case may be. The other day Andrea called and said that they were taking the kids to the McArthur's to ride horses. Perfect. All I heard was "kids ride horses" nothing at all about moms! I'm in. We got there and it was only a few minutes before Liam was up on one of the horses with his friend Lincoln. It was great that he was not the only little person there that day because I'm sure he was encouraged to try because they did. They were on the horses for quite a while and were guided all over their land. Libby was very interested in the horses. I realized about half way through our time there that I would have to get on one of these horses. I've only been on a horse a couple times and not since high school. Thanks to Curves getting onto the horse was pretty simple and thanks to Judy, who guided our horse around the yard, riding was pretty simple too. I felt a bit like a little kid at the carnival grounds. Better that though than a freaked out 30 year old making a fool of herself in the middle of a field as she gallops away on an out of control horse. My friends might have voted for the latter option though. All in all it was a wonderful day. I was so proud of the kids and it was neat that we are one step closer to being Nipawin veterans. Here are some pictures of the day.

Our little lady...she's growing up fast!

Soon to be a year and a half, Libby is full of life, loud squeals and spunk. I'm actually a little worried that she will take after me in the brat years department but we are praying for mercy. :) Most moments she is joy to be with. She loves to cuddle and I'm soaking in every minute of that because Liam was not so much that way. She loves to try on shoes and clothes. Okay, so she's not taking after me in all areas. One wardrobe change a day is good for me. Many times a day she comes up to us with jacket and/or shoes in hand "asking" to go outside to play. She really could be compared to a hyperactive dog who tears the house apart when someone mistakenly whispers the word "walk".

As I write this post Libby is in the living room by herself and she's watching hockey. She's been a bit out of it all afternoon and has a lowish grade fever. Now that she has some Tylenol in her she's sitting in her little rocking chair and "dancing" to the warm up music of the Vancouver/Chicago game. She definitely keeps smiles on our faces. Come on now, with the following looks coming at you every day, you'd be smiling too.

The Skinny

Has it really been that long since I posted last? And I was doing so well for a while there. These last couple months have been a struggle for me physically. I've been to the doctor four times, been on three different antibiotics and at the end of it all found out I had pneumonia. I've had a very patient husband through it all and children that are flexible. Thankfully there were only a couple weeks out of that time that I really felt sick. The rest of the time I just had absolutely no energy and was tired all the time. Along with that the medication I was on made me feel nauseous and slightly worried that I was pregnant again. I'm not...for all you people that think we should have more children. :)

So what have we been up to during all this? Our school year came to a close and we said goodbye to all the students after another good year of learning and growing. Thankfully the learning and growing was not just something the students did but the faculty...and their wives as well. I feel like God has been teaching me a lot lately which is exciting but not always completely enjoyable.



Following graduation the kids and I headed to Saskatoon to spend the week with my family before my cousin Taylor got married on April 23. It was a busy week with all the wedding preparations but we still managed to have some laughs, lots of coffee and the kids had a blast. Liam and Libby were in the wedding as ring bearer and flower girl. Brad and Rachel were in the wedding party and Lindsay was an usher. It was a beautiful wedding and we were so thankful that we could be there to help and celebrate with Taylor & Kirsten.
















Now that we are back home there is much to do for Lindsay at work as he prepares for the golf tournament and chairs the exec committee as Wes is on sabbatical until the end of September. I'm looking forward to gardening, getting some stuff together for a yard sale at my parents house in May and plan to work on Libby's scrapbook while Lindsay reads his newest books for a MA class he is taking in June.

So that catches you up for the most part and I will do my best to get on here more often...now that I am not coughing up a lung!

The Squat

The squat, not to be confused with the often very helpful birthing technique, is how you can often find Libby beside a toy or in this case a snack. I guess I shouldn't be surprised when I put the bowl of dry cheerios down on the floor like she's was a Saint Bernard chowing down Kibbles and Bits. I finally had the camera ready this time to capture the sheer talent that my 16 month old possesses. It's equally as fun to watch her wander around the house now that she is practically a walking pro. I think she is aided in this by her tummy being about as big as her diapered bottom. They even each other out so well, creating wonderful balance. Good thing I'm talking about a cute little toddler here. If I was describing anyone past the age of two I could get in trouble. :) Come to think of it, if this is still around when Libby is older she might not be impressed with my candid descriptions. What is a mother's role if not to nurture, guide, love and embarrass...right mom? The story behind that will have to be for another post.

Look at my gold medal Mom!!

This year is Liam's first year of organized sports. He showed interest so we signed him up for indoor soccer in the fall. This last weekend was his first ever tournament. Lindsay is one of the four coaches that helps out each week but was away this weekend with the NBC teams. That meant that I got to go and help out. Normally the idea of more than 50 kids in any given space would send me packing but I was actually excited about this because I knew it would be fun to watch Liam. He was indeed fun to watch and it was neat to see his excitement. Especially when he got his medal at the end. Of course everyone got one but to him, it was like he had just won the gold medal game. They had won their last game 3-2 and he was the goalie for some of that time. Here are some pictures from the big day.

The Work of His Hands

Growing up on the prairies I love the feeling of being able to see so much of the sky. I love seeing the crops ready for harvest in the fall. I love the northern lights. And 99% of the time I am completely satisfied with the amount of water I see when I spend time at our lakes and rivers. The other 1% is when I find myself standing at the coast, usually the Oregon Coast and see the expanse of the Pacific Ocean in front of me. We have been blessed to spend at least one night at the coast during each of our visits to Oregon. This time Libby and I and the Peters family stayed in Depoe Bay along the Oregon Coast. Thanks to Alysun's in law's generosity and willingness to give up some timeshare points, we stayed in a great suite. We've never been this close to the ocean before. About 10 feet out our patio door there was a cliff, rocks and ocean. It was magnificent and I could have sat there for hours watching the waves hit the rocks. There was a storm blowing in as we got into Depoe Bay and let me tell you it pushed those waves up against the rocks and it was quite a show. I've never seen the seen the coast that active before and it was very cool. So this prairie girl can be awed by prairie fields, mountains and ocean alike. It reminds of me the Psalm I read today...

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.

There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun...

...which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat. Psalm 19:1-6

Sam Storms in his book "More Precious than Gold" writes, "look up and listen for the sky and all in contains is one continuous chorus singing God's glory (Ps.19:1-2). It pours out praise, not in mere hints or whispers but in deafening shouts of supremacy and splendor. The phrase "pours out" means "to bubble up and over like an irrepressible mountain spring." This psalm focuses on the heavens and the sky but I can't help but think as I stood with the ocean in my view that every crash of the waves was a sweet sound in God's ear. "Crash...thank you for creating me, Crash...you are awesome God, Crash...glory be to your name Lord."

Thank you God for all that you have created for us to enjoy...such a wonderful gift.

Where has Ore gon(e)?

I don't know where Ore has gone but Libby and I flew out of Saskatoon on February 10 to Porland, Oregon to spend 5 days with my friend and roommate from college. Alysun and I met fairly early into our illustrious freshmen year of college. She had traveled three days to get to Briercrest after a very last minute decision to attend "this school in Canada" and I had driven three hours to attend the college my parents had attended and just knew that I would too some day. Saying that I was a bit apprehensive about the whole thing would be an understatement. I was beside myself with nervousness and God knew just want to do. He sent this fun girl named Alysun my way and we began to hang out a lot. The freshmen week still seems like a blur but we began to bond as we became full fledged college students. Here are some of the things I think of when I think of those years...

* late night snacks
* long talks
* hayrides, skating to swing music,
* freshmen worship band try out (who were we kidding)
* choir
* chapels
* racing home from supper one night to put a Christmas tree in our RC's bathtub
* classes
* snow ball fights in the dorm
* laughing until it hurt (thankfully we lived in a dorm with two rooms to every bathroom)
* watching sappy chick flicks and drooling over Mr. Knightly,
* learning all about art and a true to life scale model of the coliseum made out of bristol board
* standing in line for extra gravy because Alysun thought the server was cute
* cleaning our room or just letting the closet come to life because it was full to overflowing

I could go on but it might only be funny for Alysun and I so I'll spare you. All these times were great and I wouldn't trade them but something that stands out above the rest are the lessons that God taught us through our friendship and outside it. I treasure the talks we had and the way that Al just accepts me for who I am and loves me in spite of my quirkiness. She is a blessing and that's why it has been so special to be able to keep up our friendship even though the mile separate us.

So, now that you know a little of our colourful history, I'll tell you about the trip Libby and I just took to visit Alysun and her family.

Alysun and Jeff and their three kids live about a half hour outside Salem, OR in a beautiful valley, on a farm in a great farm house that they have redone. Alysun has far surpassed my limited knowledge of farming as a prairie girl growing up in a Saskatchewan city. They will be heading into their busy farming season soon so I thought I would fly down there when it wasn't so hectic and while Libby could still fly for free. Libby did a great job in the airplane there and back. She loved playing with Emmaleigh, Mandy and Remington and was excited to see cows up close for the first time. I, of course was excited to see our friends again and we had fun. We went to the coast for a night, did some shopping, enjoyed great food, watched some movies and had some great talks. I had a very relaxing time which I think was exactly what I needed after a busy winter. With Alysun, even folding laundry is enjoyable and it was a lot of fun to just live life alongside the Peters family for a few days.

I'm so thankful for Alysun's friendship and the fact that as our families have grown we have been able to reconnect and continue the blessing that God gave to us about 12 years ago. Love you Al.


Libby and I during a sight seeing afternoon at a covered bridge.


Our view from our suite at the coast. A storm was moving in when we got there and the waves were crashing against the rocks. In the four times we've stayed at the coast with them over the years I think this is the closest our place has been to the water. Magnificent view and I was again overwhelmed by the beauty and the creativity of our God.



These pictures at the coast rarely work because of the wind. Poor Libby looks like she's on the back of a Harley.

Bundle Up...It's Cold Outside!

God is very creative. The fact that he created this place called earth for us to live and put so many different things on it. Mountains, prairies, oceans, and so many different climates. It's amazing. You can tell by Libby's attire (if you can tell that it's her) that we are blessed to live in a cold climate. I've always been proud to come from Saskatchewan. I must admit dressing up for the cold is a lot more work now with kids but it's still a sweet place to live...and thankfully we don't have to dress like this all year.