Donut

I know, I know, this is a lot for someone who doesn't typically post videos. I promise that this one is worth watching til the end.

Untitled from Gary Anderson on Vimeo.

Go Cats!

My mom and Hannah came to stay with us last week while Gary was away. We all enjoyed their company. Maggie especially loved playing with her Aunt. (Read: Playing with her Aunt's computer) As Northwestern Wildcats alum, my mom and Hannah taught Maggie to say "Go Cats!" We all got a kick out of hearing her say this with gusto. I particularly love the little cheerleader fist pump she adds to the end.

Untitled from Gary Anderson on Vimeo.

Annual Book Club

Look! Thanks to our trip, I read my book for the year! I can't tell you what a relief it is to have my yearly book reading out of the way and it's only July. Hmm...maybe this year it will be TWO books! Don't get your hopes up.

Shockingly, it only took me three days instead of two months this time. Either I really am becoming a better reader, or that's the difference between fiction/non-fiction for me. Probably the latter. Or maybe the lack of internet.

In case you're wondering, it's a fantastic book. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and was even a little sad when I was done. A great, light, entertaining read.

Strangely enough, I picked it up after reading about it on a friend's blog and then subsequently finding it on the nightstand at my mom's house in the room I was sleeping in. There's a quote in the book that says, “I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some secret sort of homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers.” And so I read it. And I'm glad I did.

Over the River and through the Woods

We had a wonderful time celebrating the Fourth of July down at my parents cabin in the Smokey Mountains.

It was amazingly refreshing and fun. Thanks to AT&T's reliable service, I was without phone reception and Internet almost the entire time...which actually turned out to be great!

Howard "roughing it" in a sink bath.

My sister and her husband were able to come out for most of the weekend, which was so much fun. They were able to meet Howard for the first time, and Uncle Justin introduced Maggie to fireworks.

Maggie helping Auntie Kat bake a cake.


Maggie loved playing in the river bed in the afternoons. She mostly liked to "Foh wocks."





We went on a couple of fun hikes, too. Some were more successful than others.

Don't we look super outdoors-y here?? I think the umbrella gives us away.



Pics with Papa.

It's been a long time since we've gone on a true vacation, and a really long time since we've truly relaxed and unplugged from life. We can hardly wait until our next vacation now! (TBD, of course)

Where We've Been

Several weeks ago (it was originally 4 when I started this post...who knows how many it's been now) we packed up the van for what we thought would be a week trip to Chicago. This turned into two weeks in Chicago followed by nearly a week in the Smokey Mountains with my parents...for a grand total of 3 weeks!

Here's how it went down:
We spent the first part of the week celebrating my sister's graduation from Northwestern. We (the Andersons) didn't technically attend either graduation ceremony, but were more than happy to partake in the celebration activities (read: FOOD).

Hail the conquering graduate!

Also in town to celebrate were my grandparents, who we were delighted to see and be able to spend some quality time with. They were overjoyed to meet their youngest great grandson.

Big H and Little H

Mamaw spent HOURS holding the baby. I think they bonded, and I'm sure she misses him as much as he misses her!

In addition to our family, we were also able to connect with some "old" friends. It was wonderful, and in so many ways felt like we never left. Unfortunately, I only got pics with the Leibman kids. Not unfortunate that I got those pictures...just that I didn't get any with anyone else! Arg!

Remember the last time they sat at this table?

Levi and Howard...believe it or not, Howard is almost 2 months older than him!

The big sisters look a little skeptical about this whole picture thing.

Yes, believe it or not, this is the best picture we got of all four kids.

Unfortunately, Maggie came down with an ear infection (who gets an ear infection in the middle of June??) at the beginning of the week, and it took her pretty much the rest of the week to recover. It definitely slowed us down that week, but I was thankful to be able to go back to our old doctor, have my mom around at night and also to have almost an entire second week to have extra playdates and lunches with friends!

We LOVED catching up at the parks. Proximity to good playgrounds is one of the things we miss a lot in Ohio!

Enjoying the sun in my friend Nicole's beautiful backyard. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures of her yard OR her kids. Hmph. Guess we'll just have to come back.

Mags loved hanging out with Auntie Laura.

Reading with Grandma. I believe in this picture she was a little shocked to find her "Frankie" stuffed dog in someone else's room in the PBK catalog.

The second weekend was the memorial service for my grandfather, who passed away in March. ALL of the Muller cousins were in town (other than my sister Kat), which was a very special treat.



I know there is MUCH I left out. It was a very full and rich two weeks...definitely a highlight of the summer.

Details about the cabin to come SOON...however, I've already sacrificed my shower tonight in order to post this one. Considering that the temperature was above 90 today that says a lot...although I'm not sure what about - my commitment to my blog or my hygiene.

Sorry, Blog

There are several things that I now swear I will never tell mothers.

1. "Having two kids close together is SO much easier." Maybe it is. I have nothing to compare it to. But if it is the case, I certainly would not want to have two kids any further apart!

2. (as a tangent from one) "Take it easy. The laundry can wait. It will still be there tomorrow." This is not a helpful comment. Because the laundry WILL still be there tomorrow, along with the three new loads that need to be done along with the other 10 million things that never get done.

My cousin (mother of four) told me a few weeks ago that there was a time that she thought instead of adopting a baby, maybe a 13-year-old girl would be a better idea. I like her thought process.

So in the meantime, blogging suffers. It always seems the last thing on my list of What Needs to be Done. It is a close last-place to sleeping, eating and showering.

In the meantime, Howard starts Kindergarten next week.

Attack of the Big Sister

Monkey Business