Baby day at work...plus more!

So today my sister called and needed me to watch Kaelyn at work...she was amazing. I had such a busy day today considering it is the end of the month, but she just made the whole day better. She laughed, cooed, and distracted ALL my employees. Take a look...

Matt and Kaelyn

Marty and Matt being distracted by lil Kaelyn

Play time!

Now Aunt Lindsey being distracted by Kaelyn Bug!

She truely makes any bad day go great! Thank you Lord for sweet babies!

FINALLY....AN UPDATE!!!

First and foremost, I am sorry again for the delay in updates. The Anderson Household has been super busy. We dont have internet at the house, so updating the blog can only happen while Im at work, and on my lunch breaks. So after a couple breaks I will hopefully be able to fill you in on our lives these past three months.
House Projects:

Last month we finally got our entertainment center finished. As I mentioned before, Kenny and my brother in-law built it. We then took it to a professional painter, where its finishing touches were completed. It is absolutely beautiful and completely changed the whole look of the living room. Thank you Pottery Barn for the design...and thank you Lord that we were able to make it for a 1/4 of the price it would have cost if we had actually bought it from Pottery Barn. I am so in love with this piece of work!

Right before we got the entertainment center back from the painting shop, we also received our new couches. I had been waiting on these for months.They are still fresh (a little stiff) so Kenny and I rotate seats daily to wear them in. I was so happy to have finally gotten rid of the old college couch...well at least its out of the house. The couch now resides in the "Mancave," making a beautiful addition to the tools and clutter. Anyone need a couch? :)

Next project to tackle was our landscaping. Let me remind you...we live on 2 full acres. So landscaping is not something we can due over a weekend. In fact every weekend we are cutting grass, pulling weeds, cleaning out the banana trees, burning branches, babying our fig and satsuma tree, planting new flowers, trees or shrubs. Thank goodness that we actually enjoy yard work. Truthfully, this is when Kenny and I probably spend most of our time together...and we love it!

Below is a couple pictures of some of the landscaping we have done...still much more to do on Deer Run Rd!

I show this picture now, because the green trim is our next project that we will be tackling on the whole house!

Agapanthus plants on the left side of the house. I love these durable plants!

Holly Fern in front of the house. Theses things have already doubled in the couple of weeks that we have had them. I cant wait for them to get full grown. I sure wish I had taken before and after pictures.

The tree on the left is our Satsuma tree. These things are better than oranges. The dogs love them too!

The tree on the right is our fig tree, which no one in our house likes, including the dogs. Figs free to anyone who wants to come and pick them!

Banana Trees. Last year we thought we had lost these from our hard freezes we had gotten. It looks like we might have a different outcome this year. I sure hope so because they are so sweet and good.

MORE HOUSE PROJECTS:

In our last blog I mentioned that we were still doing some work on our back patio. Kenny decided to re-stain the cabinets in the bar area. I also added a couple of decorations, plus plants to the back patio as well.

OUR BEAUTIFUL NIECE AND NEPHEW ARE GROWING UP!!!

For Easter we went out to Kristen and Jons. It was a great time watching the kids do their easter egg hunt and we ate some great food. 

For those of you who dont know...my husband is in love with anything that has a motor...cars, trucks, motorcycles, and boats. But sometimes he just doesnt know when to stop his love and face reality...

Like the fact that he is wayyyy to big for Walkers power wheels. This picture is priceless: Walker on his tractor pulling a wagon, and Kenny trailing behind on his powerwheels motorcycle.

You think he might be a bit big for it?

This Easter was Kaelyns first! I think she was a bit spoiled for it, dont you?

Kaelyn is doing great! She has gotten so big, and super fun to play with. I am enjoying every moment mom and dad give me with her. Thank you God for little girls!

This past weekend my sister and her husband went on a Marriage Retreat Weekend. So that left us in charge of Kaelyn...The Aunties were ready to have fun! So Lindsey and I...as soon as Kaelyn was dropped off, decided what a perfect time to take Kaelyn to get her ears pierced. (DONT WORRY, WE HAD FULL PERMISSION FROM THE PARENTS). Lauren told us it would be too hard on her to watch, so she wanted us to do it for her.

So we did...and boy was it a task! I now know why she didnt want to do it herself! 

WARNING: Lauren if your reading this you might want to skip the pitiful pictures!

So here is how it went: 

Lindsey jumped in the car to head to the mall. Well while we were getting in the car, Kaelyns knee got bumped. Lets just say it was all down hill from here. 

She screamed and screamed and screamed. So we pulled over to get her out of the car seat and calm her down. We tried a bottle, toys, walking her, singing to her, making goofy faces, everything! Nothing was working! So we gave her a set of keys, buckled her back in, and watched (listened too) to her laugh, cry and scream all at the same time. I swear she knew what we were up to! Finally we make it to the mall. The screaming has calmed and the tears were gone. At this point she now began to play and laugh. 

Great, we thought! Now she is happy and look at what we are about to do to the pitiful babe!

Well we get to the original place we wanted to have her ears pierced at. After a couple minutes of conversation we were quickly denied in that we were not allowed to have her ears pierced. Apparently we have to be the mother or legal guardian. I tried and tried with the woman. But what if the mother has no desire to be here? Cant I pretend to be the mother and you just pretend you never heard me tell you otherwise? NO NO and NO!

Fine! So Lindsey and I decided to go to the next place in mind. This time, I told them I was the mother. Yes, I lied. But I promise it was for a good cause. They were not going to allow it any other way. Lindsey and I just kept saying..."This is for you Lauren." and "One day, Kaelyn will love us for this." 

My hand was shaking the entire time I was filling out all the forms...lying. (but for a good cause)

Finally we were ready to do it. Can you picture it? Lindsey and I (terrified), the lady thinks it is because Im a nervous mother, when really its because im an awefull aunt! Kaelyn is laughing and playing...

then it all went down hill from there! Click! SCREAM! Click! SCREAM (louder). My heart was hurting for my lil-one. Dont worry, I left the really mad, sad, screaming picts out!

 But it was all smiles, litterally 2 minutes after!

God has really blessed Kenny and I with family and friends who share their little ones! 

So there...an update! I have much more to write about, but I figured I should do a little at a time. So stay in tuned for the next update...Thursday!

The kids...How could I forget the kids!

Oops! I cant believe I forgot to mention how our children are doing. GREAT! We are still working on a few ins-and-outs with Teal and her mischievous ways, but overall she has been such a great sister to Rusty and companion to us. Rusty and Teal truely make a team wherever they go...chasing squirrels, getting on the couches together, and even watching mom while she trying to take a bath.

 Teal has put on 15 pounds since we got her, and her beautiful coat has finally come in. Overall, her health has improved a ton, thanks to some great medicine and special food.

While I say that her and Rusty are getting along, Teal still is the dominant one of the two. After all, she is the Alpha. Teal gets extremely jealous of any toy, not just her "special bears." The picture below explains it perfectly... Teal in control of ALL the toys we own.

While she might be the dominant of the two dogs, she still has the biggest heart of gold. She loves her daddy especially, and just melts when anyone touches her or gives her any attention.
Kenny and I have definitely come to the conclusion that we could never get another dog after these two...there is just NO absolute way we could ever get another pet as good as the two we have!

FAMILY and BLESSINGS

Family and Friends, I am so sorry about the delay in updating our blog. Although hectic-ness should be NO excuse...it truly is the sum of of life lately. Between a new niece, recouping from the holidays, house projects, work, church, and keeping a marriage strong....I am exhausted! So this blog might just be a bit long, but full of new information and lots of pictures (to keep you interested).

I just love the quote, "Many things may change us, but everything begins and ends with the FAMILY."
Isnt this saying just so true! These past couple of months have been ALL about family. Growing with family, laughing with family, sharing the holidays with family, starting new families, crying with family, and loving with family.
Our niece, Kaelyn Marie is just now over 2 months old...and growing fast. She has not been the typical newborn who only sleeps, eats and...well, lets just say I have already put her to work.

Okay...Yes, she is sleeping...But i promise you she was just helping me to payroll!

Last week was Kaelyn's baby dedication at Mt. Zion Church. I think this was the first time Lauren decided to put her in a dress. And lets just say, we might have a tomboy on our hands because Kaelyn officially hates dresses!

Lauren, Brett and Miss Kaelyn

Kenny, Me, Lauren, Kaelyn and Brett

This past weekend was also a big weekend for Kenny. Kenny turned 26! We feel like every night last week and the weekend prior we were celebrating! He sure is loved! Last weekend we went to dinner with Papa, Susan, Aunt Jan, and the Owens. This past weekend we went and had Sushi with Joy and Dan. And we finished the weekend and Birthday Celebrations with a gourmet seafood dinner at my parents house with the whole clan. 

 The legendary Funfetti Cake

Kaelyns FIRST Birthday party

She definitely did not like our voices :(

Besides the Family time with all of our family members...Kenny and I are also trying to spend some quality time together. Most couples go on expensive dates, or leave for a weekend...while we enjoy doing house projects together. Lets see, where do I begin. We finally finished the back porch decorations which included a new rug and wine rack plus we re-stained the cabinets in the bar area. 

This was extremely hard to find...especially to match the crazy orange color the floor stain came out as. But I thought it match perfectly the rest of the room. Honestly, I just loved the rug so we made it work!

Next project was to finish updating the mirrors and decor in the master bath.

We took down the massive 8 x 4 mirror and put up two smaller ones...added a little white paint, new fixture and then the decorations! Whalla! Definitely one of the cheaper projects.

Now we are currently working on our new project...an entertainment center. Kenny and my brother in-law built a Pottery-barn entertainment center. It is currently at a friends shop being painted. We are hoping to have it back this weekend to go along with my new couches I have been waiting 3 years for. I will post pictures of the living room once all is done.

 Besides exhaustion, Kenny and I are doing well. We are bathing in Gods Glory and blessings that He has given us so far this year...health, happiness, and love!

We hope that you are having a great start to 2010! I hope to post more pictures and more updates as the weeks roll on by in the Anderson Family.

OHHHH!!!! By the way....my dad just won Florida Veterinarian of the Year 2010! Go Dad! I love you. 

Our Neice Kaelyn Marie is finally here!

Lauren was suppose to be induced on Saturday at 8am...well baby Kaelyn + God (of course) had different plans. Lauren labored all night and finally at about 5am said, "I cant do this any longer." Lauren was given her epidural at 8am. Praise God!!!! We saw a completely different woman. A couple hours passed and the doctor checked her...she was 7 centimeters dilated and almost ready.

Around 12:45pm Lauren really felt like she needed to start pushing...sure enough she was 10 centimeters +1 dilated and 100% effaced. Ready to go at 1pm. After a couple pushes and 16 minutes, little Kaelyn was finally here! And the best thing about it was that I got to be a part of it. What a miracle to see such a gift from above just handed to us! She weighed in at 8.3 ounces and 20 1/2 centimeters long. Hard to believe Lauren had that big of a baby in her little belly. Lauren definitely set the standards high for Lindsey and I.

 

Kaelyn is a sweet little thing with a great set of lungs on her. She takes after her mother. We are looking forward to her coming home today sometime and to watch her grow into a beautiful girl.

Kenny and I are soaking up the babies and enjoying being Uncle Kenny and Aunt Kristen or KK!

We will post more pictures once I can gather all the other cameras and download them!
Hope everyone is having a great start to your new year!
May God Bless you in 2010!

Adding another to the Anderson Family

First and foremost, we hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with their family and friends. There is something about the smell of Turkey baking all day, dads famous stuffing that gets eaten before we even sit down, the memories that are made with family and friends, and the moments you can sit back and just be Thankfull for ALL that we do have in our lives.

Kenny and I also wanted to share the good news......NO IM NOT PREGNANT, but we did take on another child. So let me introduce to you....

TEAL

She is Rustys blood sister, born on the same day and just as sweet as she can be. She came down with a Pancreatic disorder making it so she could no longer be shown and because of her health issue she most likely was never going to be able to be adopted out. So here we are...with another one! We truely never thought we would ever be able to find another dog quite like Rusty, but we were wrong. She has the same temperment, calm personality, very obedient, and extremely loving. Only difference is, she tends to think she is a Chihuahua. At any given moment she wants to be right in your lap.

Rusty has really taken a liking to her. Even though he isnt ready to admit that he enjoys the thought of how he now has to share his bones and toys, bed and parents...he really does like her.

We look forward to everyone meeting our little lady. In the mean time...we hope everyone enjoys this holiday season. 

  

A Week off to Celebrate 3 years!

Kenny and I decided to spend some Vacation time and have a week off to do whatever we want! We did just that. No strings attached, no schedule, no work, no issues to deal with. It was a "kick the shoes off and relax" week. Last Sunday we traveled to Tallahassee to see my college roomate and best friend, Emily, her husband Ryan and their new puppy Bella (Rustys new girlfriend). We had a great time seeing Talli, playing with the kids (Rusty and Bella), and making s'mores over the bonfire.

(Bella and Rusty)

Then we left Tallahassee and drove down to Waculla Springs, where we had the pleasure of listening to two massive gators "talk" back and forth. It actually sounded more like a roaring lion.

We then continued to drive down the West coast of Florida until we came to the small town of Steinhatchee. Steinhatchee is known for great fishing and scalloping. We stayed at a beatiful resort with the best cabins, pool, in door sauna, and nature trails. Rusty really enjoyed the Donkeys, goats, chickens, and rabbits.

(The cabin we stayed in while at Steinhatchee Landing Resort)

(Rusty and this Donkey really took a liking to each other)

The rest of the week was quite relaxing....sleeping in, waffles for breakfast, a great anniversary dinner, caught up on our LOST episodes, and we worked on projects around the house. Our main project was to stain and seal the back porch floor. The final outcome looks great although it is a bit on the "orange" side for color. For now it is good enough. I am looking forward to finally being able to decorate now that the windows are in, furniture has been cleaned, and floors are done!

So now we are back to work with a lot to do and a lot to catch up on...

Why is it that you feel like you need another vacation to follow one you just had?