TWO WEDDINGS IN ONE YEAR!

Earlier this year - 2009 - Erin got married.  Now the week-end before Thanksgiving Michael got married.  Such a great year it is been for us.  We have been so blessed this year.  They got married in the Provo Temple, the same temple that Allison's parents had gotten married in.  Once again, I got to look around the sealing room and had tears come into my eyes as I could see Courtney and Will, and Erin and David there to witness their brother getting married.  I can't get over how blessed I have been.  



Michael and Allison right after coming out of the temple.



3 Brothers - I can always see how much they love each other, and how much the little one admires the big ones.  (He doesn't see himself as the little one, but as an equal.)



Family Photo - including Grandma Hein



The REAL Anderson family.

The POSED Anderson family.



Groom and Two Best Friends: Zach and Zach.  (Interesting bit of trivia - both Zach's born on April 28th.)



Allison's mom brought ties back from China for all of the guys to wear.  Really cool.

Michael and Grandma Hein



The Hayne's Family, my sister Niki, my brothers Andy and David



Zach's Eagle/Senior Project

For Zach's senior project/Eagle project he got a group of people together and they added bark and did some clean up at Lucas Park.  This is a small park just up the street from DQ in Pasco.  The city of Pasco had taken out the old play equipment and put in new and were more than happy to have someone else do all the work of adding the bark.  What seemed like a small project was huge.  There were quite a few mountains of bark to move and level out underneath the play equipment.  Zach also dug around the park benches so the city could come in a lay cement around them instead of having dirt and mud directly under the benches.  Zach also did trash clean up and some trimming of trees, and pulling of weeds.  It was quite a huge undertaking for this November week-end.  (The very next week-end was super busy as well - and it wasn't even Thanksgiving yet.  My next post will be about that.)



The First Wheelbarrow Full of Bark!



Conner on top of the pile - copying his big brother Zach.

Zach, Kylee, and Steven Empey

Scott Norr and Zach

I wasn't there - so I don't know who all helped.  I know it was a long hard process and I appreciate all who were there to support Zach.  Thank you so much!

Kaitlin's Pie

Our ward had a Fair, similar to the county fair.  One of the events was a pie contest.  Kaitlin decided she wanted to make a pie for this contest.  We aren't really a pie family - I don't like them, so I don't make them.  We cheat at Thanksgiving and Christmas and have fabulous frozen pies.  So I wasn't really encouraging of this activity.  And then when she said she wanted to make a peanut butter pie, I began thinking, "YUCK!" 

So we talked about it and figured out some yummy ideas using her ideas about peanut butter and a chocolate cookie crumb crust.  And lo and behold - it was voted first place.  I actually got to eat only a tiny sliver that was left in the pan as it was the first pie to go.  Not bad for Kaitlin who basically made up the recipe and and never made it until this event. 

Here is the recipe as we did it.  Mind you, we didn't measure as we weren't sure what we were doing and were basing everything on taste - so taste often until you like it.

Crust - crunch up chocolate sandwich cookies, add some granulated suger and a small bit of melted margarine.  Press into a pie crust.  If you don't have enough margarine, it won't stick to the sides of the pan.

Peanut butter layer - Mix peanut butter with powdered sugar.  We didn't use a whole lot of peanut butter as peanut butter has a strong flavor.  It should taste like the inside of a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup.  Spread on the crust.

Chocolate layer - Follow the package directions for instant chocolate pudding.  Add half a package of cream cheese and beat well.  Add some cool whip until it tastes great.  Spread on top of the peanut butter mixture.

Top with cool whip and grated sweet chocolate (like a Hershey's bar).  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Erin and David Wilcox - Who Are They?

On August 15, 2009, Erin married David Wilcox in the Columbia River Temple.  It was a beautiful wedding and it was great to have Michael, Courtney and Will all present, as well as two of my sisters and my mom.  I always love family get-togethers.  It is my most favorite thing in the world.  Erin's new sister-in-laws took care of the cupcakes and the flowers so it was nice to have some help.  I know Brad and I were leary about having cupcakes instead of a traditional wedding cake, but there were so many nice comments about that and others have copied that idea (and even borrowed the cupcake tiers that David's dad made for the event.)  We were also kind of concerned about the reception as Erin and David planned games to play.  Not really games for the attendees, but for them to watch.  One of the games was like the Newlywed game with David's parents, Brad and I, and Erin and David as the three couples competing.  Wouldn't you know it - the newlwed's won the game.  Perhaps they were in cahoots with the host of the game - Michael.  Everyone that attended later told me that it was probably one of the funnest receptions they have ever been too. 



We met Michael's fiancee for the first time.  We put her to work and she didn't even complain about being stuck working hard for a family she didn't even know.  She had been room mates at BYU with Erin and that is how Michael met her. 



Some more pictures to catch up on.

Pasco High School has been giving out golden bulldogs as part of their awards program.  This began the year that Courtney was a Senior.  The students are nominated by their teachers in each department and then the teachers decide which student they should give the bulldog to for that year.  So for each subject there is one bulldog per grade.  This is Zach's junior year and he is receiving a bulldog for math.  Mr. Shimek likes to tease the families that have a lot of bulldogs about needing some dog food and a pooper scooper.  More about this in a later post (one that is more current - not current, mind you, but more current than Zach's junior year.)

Kylee and Kaitlin's piano recital.  They sounded really good.

You will have to trust me on that as I haven't figured out

how to add video to my blog yet.  I guess if I played around

enough I would learn a few things.

Kylee and Kaitlin and their young women's group climbed Badger Mountain.  They could see the temple from the top of the mountain.  What a fun activity!


Kylee's graduation from McLoughlin Middle School.

 Kylee's favorite occupations - talking on the phone and eating junk food.!

 Girl's Camp for Kylee and Kaitlin!



When these girls were quite a bit younger they called themselves the KKK.
Had to explain to Kaitlin, and Kaytlin, and Kylee why they couldn't call
themselves that, even if they thought it sounded cute.



    Summer Band 2009 - Kaitlin did flags and loved it.  This is the annual 4th of July Parade in Pasco.

WE LIVE IN THE COUNTRY! OH MY!

When we first moved to our new home, Kylee and Kaitlin informed me that we live "out in the country," and Zach declared we have become rednecks.  I kept reassuring the kids that we don't live "out in the country" (didn't tell Zach he was wrong though) since Walmart is just around the corner and up the street.  Well, I have been proven wrong.  Soon after moving here we watched all of the new little babies around the neighborhood.  Our favorite was across the way: 

There are other baby calves too, mostly black ones, but the little black and white one was by far the cutest.  Then we watched all of the baby chicks and the goats and the sheep.  Just a few weeks ago (this part is truly just a few weeks ago) as we were driving up the street to school there was a Mama sheep and a brand new baby sheep just inside the fence.  No one else was around and the mom was just standing there looking at this wobbly little sheep.  On the return trip home a few minutes later, other sheep were gathered around one side and the people who owned the sheep were all leaning against the fence looking at the newborn baby.  We figure we were probably one of the first to see this new baby. 

Well, just because there are lots of animals where we live doesn't necessarily mean we live out in the country.  But one Sunday I was in the living room after church and Kylee came running down the hall yelling, "There's cows in our front yard!"  I just kind of ignored her at first but when she quickly jammed her feet into her shoes and ran outside and followed behind.  Sure enought, there were six or seven cows in our front yard.  They had gotten out of the neighbor's yard and had wandered over to our place.  The neighbor boys were trying to get the cows to go home but they were too busy grazing in all of the weeds.  Finally they went and got a wagon with a bale of hay in it and the cows followed that home. 

So I guess we do live "out in the country."  I don't know too many people who live in the city who can say they have cows in their front yard.