What the?!

How did this get here?!

5 1/2 months along. 3 1/2 more to go. I can do it. I can do it. I can do it.

Happy Holidays

Sorensen Family Christmas - We were all together - only Braden was sick, so he wasn't in the picture.

Our Christmas Newsletter that Matt wrote:

What an amazing year it has been for our new little family. We have been so blessed as we have started our lives together in 2011. Join us as we reminisce this amazing year.

January: After a strange yet poignant period known now as “The 2 Weeks of Darkness” and an awkward dinner at Pizza Pie Café (or the restaurant formally known as Craigos), We decided to become official lovebirds, dating no one else. Huzzah!

February: We continued to build our relationship, and both enjoyed a wonderful Valentines Day complete with meatloaf sandwiches and country dancing in the living room. It should be noted that Cindy was ready to marry Matt.

March: St. Patrick’s Day is a big holiday for Cindy since she served her mission in Ireland. So of course we partied with friends green style. It should be noted that this month Matt thought he and Cindy should start thinking about the possibility of maybe starting to perhaps talk about the option of getting married.

April: Cindy and her kindergarten class patiently waited for Matt to propose. Or was it impatiently? Who can say? Little did they know, plans were being made all along.

May: “Finally,” as Cindy would say, Matt proposed to Cindy on May 20^th. It was official love. No one was more excited than the kiddies in Cindy’s classes.

June: This month was filled with wedding planning, wedding planning, and… oh yes, wedding planning. We even started to wonder what we would talk about after the wedding was over.

July: “Finally,” as both our families would say, we were sealed for time and eternity in the Manti, Utah temple! What a blessing for us to be able to start our lives together in such a special way! We also enjoyed a fun trip to Southern California for our honeymoon.

August: Surprise! We found out we were expecting our first little baby! It seemed a little quick, but we are both so excited for the opportunity to be parents!

September: This was a dark month as Cindy had morning sickness really bad. Our days were spent with Cindy in the potty-roo and Matt hiding in the bed not sure what to do. Luckily, we found some meds to help out. Also, we had some tender moments, like hearing our baby’s heartbeat for the first time!

October: It’s a boy! We found out our little bundle of joy is going to be a boy. That made him a lot more real. Especially when he yawned during the ultrasound. So cute!

November: More pregnancy… Also, through a series of unexpected events, Matt got a new job working for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints up at the Church Office Building in Salt Lake City. He helps maintain the LDS Media Library on lds.org. He enjoys the work and the atmosphere.

December: Cindy started the month losing her Grandma “Swanee.” She was blessed to go to the funeral and make it over the Canadian border and back with a passport that still says Cindy “Sorensen.”

Well, here we are at Christmas time, and we are so excited to share our first Christmas together. As we look back on the year, we are so grateful for the many blessings we have seen from the Lord. And we are so thankful for the support of our wonderful family and friends. We hope that as Christmas comes this year, we can remember the true meaning of it—Jesus Christ. May we all feel His love this month and all year long.

Please have a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

Hearts and Kisses,

Matty and Cindig Anderson

Taking her show on the road...

I was able to attend my grandma's funeral this past weekend. Grandma was beautiful. She looked so happy and peaceful. It helped bring closure to us all and know that even though Grandma isn't here to entertain us anymore, she's just taken her show on the road...

Families can be Together Forever

Kim, Dixie, Lloyd, Loreen

Grandma's posterity - a little nutty?

Memory Table

Right next to Grandpa

Goodbye, Grandma Swanee.

My spunky grandma. :)

I remember how Grandma would...

• decorate the little playhouse in her back yard. She had a cardboard grandfather clock, and an old buggy with a dolly inside that would talk when you pulled her string. There was a little table with chairs, lace curtains and miniature china displayed on a little cupboard. She told Brian and I that we shouldn't play with the china. Later that day, (this was Brian's idea) we picked raspberries from her garden and smashed them in the china bowls. When Grandma tried to get into the playhouse to find out what we were up to, Brian and I tried pushing the door shut to keep her out. Grandma was much stronger and of course she saw at once that we hadn't minded and were using the china. Grandma didn't scold us at all. She just reminded us of her rule and made us clean up the mess.
• dress me up in turn of the century clothing so we could strut around the Remington Alberta Carriage Center or Cardston parade. At first I was a little embarrassed, but Grandma wasn't! I learned quite quickly that if I just stood in Grandma's shadow, all the attention was on her and not me. We both liked it that way. :)
• stretch things out to make them last longer like adding to the milk or making her own lotion.
• chord on the piano and we would all gather round and sing songs like Ragtime Gal and Sweet Adeline. Once, she dressed me up like a black girl - putting a black pair of nylons over my head so I could sing "Mammy's Little Baby Loves Shortnin' Bread" with her.
• tell stories of when she was little and an occasional joke or 2 to make us all laugh.
• add bangs to women's hair in pictures to make them look more beautiful. Once, she covered the shirt I wore in my 7th grade school portrait with different clothing she'd cut out from a magazine. Apparently the yellowish shirt I wore that day didn't look good on me. :)
• walk with us down Cardston Main and visit all the shops and how she'd be a friend to all she met.
• Most of all, I'll remember that she loves me. I love you too, Grandma!!!!

I think Grandma is parading around heaven right now in turn-of-the-century clothing - don't you?

An Attitude of Gratitude

"Gratitude is a positive experience that comes from recognizing gifts or blessings and feeling thankful. It is also an attitude, a way of perceiving life, in which individuals are willing to receive and acknowledge the beneficial actions of others on their behalf. Those who consistently display such an attitude are said to have a grateful disposition. Gratitude is also a habit that can be cultivated, causing one to focus on the blessing of life." (The Value of Experiencing and Expressing Gratitude article by Vaghn E. Worthen)

Did you know that before 1863, most states decided on their own when to have Thanksgiving? Abraham Lincoln was the first president to declare it to be on the last Thursday in November - in hopes of creating a sense of unity and an attitude of gratitude in a war-torn country.

So... here's my attempt to foster a deeper sense of gratitude. I have so much to be thankful for:

1. A Loving Heavenly Father - who knows me better than I know myself, who wants what's best for me, and who cares for me - even when I'm not perfect or need to learn a life lesson or 2.

2. The Atonement of Jesus Christ. How blessed I am to know that my Savior suffered and died so that I could live with my Heavenly Father again.

3. The Restored Gospel. I'm grateful to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ. It is His church on the earth today with all the priesthood keys and authority associated with it.

4. The Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Jesus Christ.

5. A Living Prophet on the Earth Today, President Thomas S. Monson, who is God's oracle and mouth piece.

6. My Matt. I love him sooooo much. It's funny how in only 5 months of marriage I can barely remember what life was like when I was by myself. ???? How did that happen?

7. My Family/Heritage. I have wonderful parents, grandparents, family members and friends.

8. My Job. I love my 5 year olds, the funny things they say, their innocence, how they love to LOVE.

9. My Home. I have loved living in this little condo in Eagle Mountain. It suits Matt and me just fine. :) We are blessed to live here and be a part of the community.

10. Our Baby Yet to be Born. I can't wait until he comes. I have been feeling his movements for over a month now and am just in awe at how his tiny body/spirit is inside of me. It's a miracle, really.

The day before Thanksgiving, I attended the Anderson Girls' Pie Day. We (5 of the 6 the sisters in-law, 4 nieces, matt's sister, aunt and mom) made 13 pies from scratch all in less than 2 hours. It was really fun. The next day, we gathered at Matt's family's house for a turkey dinner and played games afterward.

On Friday, we traveled down to Gunnison to spend time with my family. Matt and I attended a session at the Manti Temple, visited Grandma Sorensen, went to the light parade in Gunnison, played countless games of Farkle (at Mother's request) and had another turkey meal. It was a nice reprieve from work and a chance to spend time with family.

The Belly Shot

20 weeks - 1/2 way through with the pregnancy!!!

(Cashelle: this post is mostly for you!)

The Birthday Boy

Matt turned another year older at the end of October. I'm a bit behind with my blogging, but for a good reason: No internet. Come December, we should be getting it again.

Matt's birthday fell on a Saturday. He left in the morning to go work on some things with his brother. This gave me time to prepare a nice birthday lunch and hide the scavenger hunt clues/presents.

He came back and thoroughly enjoyed the enchilada soup.

The clues were a bit tricky,

but that didn't stop him from finding those chocolate covered cinnamon bears!

The scavenger hunt included going places like...

Justin's and Joni's for cake,

and Ryan's and Misti's for ice cream.

at the end of the hunt we went to the Apple store at the mall so he could look at his main birthday present: an iphone 4s. He has since received it and is in heaven! :)

Boo-Day 2011

Another Boo-Day come and gone. (I think it's my favorite holiday!!!)

This year's freakish feast: Lazombia (Lasagna made from the flesh of the rotting dead.), Gruesome Greens (salad with gummy worms), Bones (breadsticks), Boogers (A green Jell-O salad), Eyeballs (olives), Pumpkin Cookies, Boo-Day Cake and of course, Spider Cider.

Edith and Stanley

"Have you seen our puppy dog?"

We had such a fun time with friends!

First comes love. Then comes marriage. Then comes...

(And it all happened so fast!)

Due April 16th!!!!

Our New Dinette Set - Thanks, Mom and Dad!!

Mom and Dad bought Matt and me a dinette set for our wedding gift. We'd been using Great Grandma Cahoon's old sewing table, so this is quite the upgrade. We got it for a really good price over Labor Day weekend - door buster sale - so it was. Thanks, Mom and Dad!!!

I like that it has a shelf. The shelf lifts up and you can store stuff underneath.

Without the extra leaf.

With the extra leaf.

Labor Day Weekend

So.... I FINALLY got to visit the cabin!!! Due to the wedding hulabaloo over the summer, I wasn't able to visit the cabin - no, not once. It was fun to see all the projects finished (flooring put down, furniture moved in, blinds installed, etc.).

Tyler built stairs that go up the little hill behind the cabin to this - a nice fire pit.

The Kitchen

The Bedroom

The Bath

The Mom & The Matt

The Kids

The Fireplace

The Loft

More of the Loft

Birdseye View

The Andersons

The Meal (Sloppy Joes)