Going for the Gold

We were pretty excited for the Olympics this year. Kevin served his mission in Russia, so he was really looking forward to the Opening Ceremonies. I heard about a free party going on in Provo for the Opening Ceremonies and we decided to go. It was actually a lot of fun. They had some crafts for the kids, free drinks and treats and two Olympic Gold Medalists doing meet and greets. 

Scarlett's gold medal that she kept trying to eat.

Eleanor watching the Opening Ceremonies.

Posing with Derek Parra. Eleanor got to wear his gold medal. He was so nice.

Eleanor giving Derek a high five.

This one is blurry, but we also got to meet Chad Hedrick. 

I am so glad we got to make some fun memories!

Eleanor Turns Two

Our beautiful Eleanor Ann turned two years old on the 11th. Where did the last two years go? 

We kept the celebration simple this year. She woke up to streamers in her doorway, which she loved and ran through over and over again. She spotted her wrapped gifts as soon as she came downstairs and insisted that she open them right away. We got her a lot of clothes,m; she was less than enthused. She did get some fun toys though. I unfortunately didn't take any pictures while she was opening her gifts. 

For breakfast I attempted to make Mickey Mouse pancakes. I was just happy Eleanor recognized them as such. 

She spent most of the morning/ early afternoon playing with her new toys. After nap time we FaceTimed with family then headed to the mall. Kevin turned Ellie's car seat around while she was napping, so this was her first car ride facing forward. She loved it.

Our first stop was Build-a-Bear. Eleanor picked out a princess bear, of course. 

Scarlett couldn't be left out, so she got a bear too.

Then we hit the Disney store next door. Eleanor proceeded to pull all the Princess dolls she wanted and piled them by Kevin. Wishful thinking. She ended up with a couple of nightgowns and a Minnie and Mickey car playmat. 

Then it was dinner time at Pizza Pie Cafe because Ellie loves pizza. 

We finally headed home for cake and ice cream. Ellie loves cupcakes, so I decided to make her a giant one. She was beyond excited to eat it.

We had so much fun celebrating our precious girl. She has brought so much light into our lives with her fun personality and energy. I am so happy and proud to be her momma.

Merry Christmas From The Andersons

Christmas cards just didn't happen this year, so we put together a little 2013 Year in Review for those who are curious about the many changes that came our way.

January: Eleanor turned one and we celebrated with a Minnie Mouse themed party and way too many gifts.

February: We had a lot to celebrate on Valentines' Day when we found out Baby #2 was on its way!

March: April spent most of her time on the couch with morning sickness, entertaining Eleanor the best she could.

April: We celebrated our third wedding anniversary along with April's last birthday in her 20's and Kevin's 33rd.

May: Kevin became an Ironman 70.3 in St. George by swimming 1.2 miles, biking 56 miles and running 13.1 miles. What a Rockstar!

June: April accompanied Kevin on a business trip to Miami Beach and spotted Dennis Rodman poolside.

July: We bought our first home in Eagle Mountain, Utah. We absolutely love the neighborhood and have enjoyed making our home our own.

August: Utah had record-breaking temperatures and we tried to stay cool with trips to Seven Peaks Waterpark and lots of Otter Pops.

September: Baby preparations were in full swing as we anticipated our little girl.

October: Scarlet Grace Anderson made her debut eight days early on October 11th, weighing 6 lbs 11 oz. She is absolutely beautiful and a happy baby.

November: April was diagnosed with acute appendicitis and had emergency surgery to have her appendix removed.

December: We are excited to spend our first Christmas in our new home with our two beautiful girls.

The year 2013 has brought us so many blessings. We are truly grateful for our Savior Jesus Christ and have witnessed His hand in our lives daily. We look forward to 2014 with hope that it may be a little less eventful. :-)

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Love, The Andersons

Scarlett's Blessing

Saturday, November 30, Kevin gave our beautiful Scarlett Grace a name and a blessing in our humble home. This sacred Priesthood ordinance performed in the LDS church provides an opportunity to bless our little girl with health, strength and many other important things that will bless her life. Kevin did an amazing job.

We kept the gathering very small this time. My parents, brother Brandon and Aunt Judy were the only ones in attendance other than our immediate family and a member of the Bishopric. A very different experience from Eleanor's Baby Blessing, but just as special. Kevin's mom made Scarlett's dress and I love everything about it. It is beautiful.

I am so grateful for my little family and that we will be together forever. That's pretty amazing.

Birth Announcement - Scarlett

I don't think I will be mailing out Scarlett's birth announcement this year (except to grandparents) so here it is for your viewing pleasure.

Newborn Pictures - Scarlett

I finally got around to taking some newborn pictures of Scarlett. Here are some of my favorites.

I Have All the Luck

When Eleanor was about 3 weeks old I got a kidney infection and was miserable for days. I had a fever of over 105 degrees for days and was achy, shook uncontrollably, etc. Having a newborn during that time was really hard and overwhelming. Too bad that a kidney infection was nothing compared to having acute appendicitis with a newborn.

Wednesday morning I woke up to feed Scarlett around 5:30 am and started having severe stomach cramps and some other not so pleasant symptoms. The pain was too bad to fall back asleep and I was pretty miserable. I finally took some Motrin in the afternoon and was able to get a little sleep. After I woke up the cramps had moved to my lower right abdomen. I decided to look up my symptoms to see if they matched appendicitis and they matched up pretty well. Kevin called my doctor that night to see if we should go into the emergency room and she said to go if the pain got worse, otherwise call her office in the morning and make an appointment. I made it through the night and started to feel a tiny bit better in the morning. But a few hours later the pain was getting unbearable again, so I called my doctor's office and got an appointment for that afternoon. It was pretty obvious it was appendicitis, so I was sent to get some blood work and a CT Scan. They both verified that it was acute appendicitis and I was sent over to the hospital.

Kevin's parents are in town, thankfully, and they took the girls as we headed to the hospital. Once at the hospital they rushed to get me ready for surgery and right as they were about to roll me toward the operating room, a Trauma 1 came in and I was put on hold for almost 2 hours. That wait was pretty unbearable. Definitely comparable to waiting for an epideral when in active labor. Wish that feeling wasn't so fresh in my mind. I was obviously put under once I got into the operating room and woke up a couple hours later in the recovery room. One of the first things I heard was a conversation between the nurses that went like this: "Did her appendix burst?" "I don't think so, but I heard it was really gross." Just what I wanted to hear. 

Apparently my appendix did leak a bit, so I have been on some pretty heavy anti-biotics and had to stay an extra day in the hospital. I haven't held my baby since Thursday and it is killing me. No mother should be away from her 4 week old this long. I have been pumping and dumping my milk while in the hospital and pray that I will be able to nurse again when I get home today. My supply has been getting pretty low. I guess I should be grateful that Scarlett is taking a bottle so well. 

I will hopefully be cleared to go home in a few hours. I can't wait to see and hold my babies.