Thank goodness for park days with friends! Last week on Thursday me, Ariana, Kristy and the kiddums walked to a nearby park in Whittier for a little picnic. Amelia and Anders still aren't getting around yet but James is a crawling machine and kept trying to grab whatever was near to stuff in his mouth. Kristy had her hands full!

Yesterday was spent at my mom's house making a few batches of baby food. It was really an enjoyable afternoon and I was happy about all of the food we made for not very much money! Gerber is convenient but the cost can really add up. We made turkey with onions, peas and carrots, butternut squash and sweet potatoes....lucky Anders! It is in the freezer at my parents house until I see them probably tomorrow.


Anders was pretty tuckered out by the end of the day. It's hard being nine months old!

Easter was spent at Gma and Gpa Seelye's house. Anders felt pretty awful most of the day due to an ear infection which we didn't get diagnosed until Wednesday. So Sunday was pretty miserable for both him and me. He a had a fever and was mostly inconsolable most of the day except for a few lovely hours at the party! He is better now due to daily doses of antibiotics.
He was pretty intrigued by the "cheeto carrot" that aunt G. brought!

It has been a while since I posted! We have been busy as usual with parenting, work, trying to keep up with the house, Easter, and much more. I was going back over some of my old posts and realized how much my energy level has changed since I've had Anders. I find myself being much less creative and a lot more utilitarian. I now post for the sole purpose of sharing Anders growth with family that can't see him regularly. And of course for the interested friends and family around here as well!

I look forward to the future (not sure when) blogs that branch out from baby life. Of course there will always be plenty of pictures of the little ones because I can't quite get away from being proud of "my young".... Speaking of which I'll be posting some new pictures very soon.

Friday afternoon was spent hanging out down in Balboa beach. The weather has been so pleasant that we had to get outdoors to enjoy it. Anders didn't really mind the hat and he loved the breeze just as much as we did. That evening we drove from Newport beach to Temecula to visit our good friends John and Annie. It took us about two hours to get there but it was rewarded with a wonderful Sushi dinner at one of there favorite restaurants.
Anders got lots of kisses that day!

Today was one of the most enjoyable baby days I've had in a long time. It began with a really terrible night of sleep on Anders part. I was completely discouraged and frustrated and tired this morning and most of all desperate to get out of the house! Yesterday was spent mostly indoors although I did haul the baby down to the pool area to enjoy the unseasonably warm air. But for the most part yesterday was pretty dismal. So I made a decision to actually go out today and do something.
I figured I would call Ariana and see if she and Amelia would like a visit at some point in the day. Ariana mentioned that she was going have to run some errands but that she wasn't too excited about it because of the VERY warm weather. (it was around 90 degrees today). I suggested that we hook Amelia's car seat into my car and make a group trip out of it. So that's what we did! The car was cool, Ariana could just run into each location without unhooking the baby and carting her along and I was able to get out and not spend any money in the process! It was great!
When we got home we fed the babies and put them down for naps and we filled up the kiddie pool out in the back yard of A's apartment.
When the babies woke up we stripped them down and let them splash to their hearts content. The water was a bit cold so we hooked the hose up to the hot water spicket in the laundry room nearby and made the pool feel almost tepid. It was a great way to spend a very hot afternoon. Chris came over with the video camera and got some great footage of Anders first swim party.
After swimming and tending to the babies, Ariana prepared a wonderful dinner of barbecued chicken, black beans and some yummy sides. (Jeff did the actual honors of barbecuing).
It really was the first summer day for me even though it is the middle of March! I'm looking forward to many more days of swimming and outdoor dinners in the months to come.

Here are a couple of pictures from yesterday's activities. I mean, when is it not cute to dress a baby up in a cowboy hat?!!

It has been so warm in So Cal lately. Yesterday whenever we would finish a few laps around the track we would stroll over to the pool and look at it longingly. I am really looking forward to using our apartment pool soon!

Today my good friend Rachel and I got together to walk the track at Biola. Afterwards we went back to her house and Anders got to play with Liberty and two year old Jett.

I had a little camera fun today! The weather was so balmy and warm this afternoon and Anders enjoyed sitting on his changing table while the breeze blew in through the window. And of course I had to include a bath picture since it is his absolute favorite activity!

A quick update.
Our anniversary was really nice. We REALLY enjoyed relaxing while we drove up the coast a little ways. The place that we went for lunch on Saturday was about two hours away but the drive was beautiful. After a long and leisurely lunch we took a tour of Ojai and found a nice little winery where we wine tasted and strolled around the property. We did purchase a decent Cabernet which we will save for something special. Saturday evening was spent with some of Chris' good friends at a birthday party in Northridge. We had a very relaxing day on Sunday with a late breakfast at IHOP and then a scenic drive around the Malibu area. We were happy to pick up Anders at Grandma and Grandpa C's house although it looked like he was having quite a nice time with them. I don't think he would've minded sticking around there a bit longer!
It was good to get away but we missed our little guy and were soooo happy to see him!

This weekend will be a milestone not only because it's our ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY! but we are leaving Anders at Gma and Gpa's overnight! It will be nice to get away and enjoy staying up late and sleeping in. We realized that one year ago today was our rehearsal dinner. What a good year it has been.
The above picture was taken a couple of days into our honeymoon in Ojai California. It's only a couple hours away so tomorrow we will be driving up there for a nice lunch at a great little french restaurant that we loved last year. We are looking forward to a little road trip!

Here is the latest picture from our baby/mommy get together with Ariana and friend Kristy Caver (Sundan). From left to right Amelia, Anders and James. There is a big difference from the last gathering in how they interact together. They also notice the camera now as well!

Here's a new picture of Anders. He is 8 months old now and we are constantly amazed at how fast he is growing and changing.

We had a great time at a holiday party that my friend Rachel and her husband Lenny put on a couple of weeks after Christmas. I figured it's about time to put up a currant picture of me and the hubby! Our 1 year anniversary is coming up next weekend... wow I just realized that it is actually NEXT weekend! We will most likely be leaving the beeba with my folks over night so we can get away somewhere not to far but far enough away. =)

Pictures from my trip to my dad's office today. Thanks to Mike Hamilton we got a couple of cute mommy and baby pictures.

Here is a picture that I took today. Anders is lying on the blanket that Auntie Erin and Uncle Jim made for him. Today was a pretty big day starting with Chris taking him to the church nursery while Grammy was at Bible study. She took him home to watch him while Chris and I worked. After I picked him up around 2:00 we went and visited a few people including my dad at his office. Anders hasn't had a good nap today and it's beginning to show! At the moment he is sitting in his "hop n' pop" and letting out burst of screams and spit bubbles.... hopefully this means that he'll go down easily at 7:00 so Chris and I can watch a movie tonight!

Last week Ariana, Kristy Caver and I decided to get together to chat and see how the babies react to each other. Actually I think that these pictures are from the last time we met but there should be one up from last week soon. They are getting more interested in each other as they get bigger but they are still just learning that they exist let alone OTHER babies! The top picture is Amelia, James and Anders. Below is a picture of the cousins (second cousins?) looking at Ariana.

Well, the time has come to blog again. I've been avoiding it for a few reasons; my camera is in Chris' car and we keep forgetting to bring it upstairs, I'm busy living and I have a hard time sitting down and writing about my life when I should be living it and lastly my mind is beginning to feel like mush from too much 24 and American Idol.
At the moment Chris has that bad cold/flu that has been going around lately. My sister Heidi and her family in Dallas are just getting over it and it seems like most people I talk to have had it. So far I've dodged it and Anders only has a slight cold but nothing too bad. Hopefully that's how it will stay!
Anders has been growing alot lately. He's eating three meals of veggies or fruit (compliments of Gerber) a day as well as his regular formula. This morning I felt something sharp on his bottom gum and I'm assuming that all the fussing and squirming is paying off. Thank goodness for teething tablets!
He has been a blast to play with as all of his light bulbs come on and he is really enjoying his world now. We'll be buying another piece of plastic in the form of a high chair within the next couple of days and it will add to the collection of bright un-breakable items that we are building piece by piece. Kind of like an art collection.... except alot less valuable and not as asthetic.
Chris and I are doing well. We are looking forward to going out to dinner tonight to celebrate our first Valentines as a married couple. We're dropping Anders off at the church nursery for two hours of free babysitting. =) It should be fun despite Chris' cold.


Happy Valentines Day everyone!

I was reading through some old blog entries and I came across this on and it amused me just as much as when it happened. What a crazy weekend! It dates back ot July 2005.

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Today I was laughing to myself again over the abnormal circumstances of this past weekend. Starting on Friday, I had three tire blowouts in three days. Not from defective tires but from various pieces of metal picked up in different places.

Friday morning I happily began my day by going to my hair supply shop to pick up products and as I left I remembered that I had left my lunch at home so I ran back to get it. Then I realized that I had enough time to pickup a iced hazelnut latte before I had to be at work. It was one of those really productive feel good mornings that I live for. No sooner had I pulled out of the parking place at the coffee shop, I heard (or felt) the flop of a flat tire. I put on my hazards and made my way into the Chevron station. When I looked there was a large peice of metal sticking out.
I was a little bummed but it really didn't bother me too much. I sipped my coffee, called AAA and work and then waited. I was a half hour late to work but somehow it all worked out fine.

Saturday I got a new back left tire and then proceeded to drive to Santa Clarita to see "March of the Penguins" with my sister and family. Great movie and great company. That evening when I walked out to my car I saw that my front left tire was flat. This time a bolt.
Called AAA again and waited a good two hours to get the spare put back on. I ended up spending the night in Palmdale and getting my tire fixed the next day at Big O tires.
I was on my way home on the 60 freeway and BAM there went my THIRD tire, this time my back right tire had a large bolt sticking out of it.
One of my fears has been having a blowout on the freeway and it wasn't as scary as I thought.
I Called AAA again and found out I'd have to pay 45$ because I'd used up all my free tow truck visits. Oh well. It had to be done. About 10 min later a tow truck pulls up so I get out with my ID and AAA card in hand, and it turns out that this is a free service paid for by our tax dollors. They patrol the freeways and help stranded motorists. So, I didn't have to pay any money to have my spare put back on.
By this time I was giddy with the obsurdidy of the whole thing. I've NEVER had a blown tire in the 11 years since I've had my liscense.

Because of the intensity of the situation it almost seemed super natural and my big question was and is, what do you want to make of this God??? Is there a reason for this crazy weekend??
I know that It really was a bit of an adventure and I do now know alot more about tires than I did on Thursday.... Maybe that is the big meaning, or it could be that my tires were much hotter in the 100 degree heat that they couldn't deflect a silly thing like a bolt....Today I was laughing to myself again over the abnormal circumstances of this past weekend. Starting on Friday, I had three tire blowouts in three days. Not from defective tires but from various pieces of metal picked up in different places.

Friday morning I happily began my day by going to my hair supply shop to pick up products and as I left I remembered that I had left my lunch at home so I ran back to get it. Then I realized that I had enough time to pickup a iced hazelnut latte before I had to be at work. It was one of those really productive feel good mornings that I live for. No sooner had I pulled out of the parking place at the coffee shop, I heard (or felt) the flop of a flat tire. I put on my hazards and made my way into the Chevron station. When I looked there was a large peice of metal sticking out.
I was a little bummed but it really didn't bother me too much. I sipped my coffee, called AAA and work and then waited. I was a half hour late to work but somehow it all worked out fine.

Saturday I got a new back left tire and then proceeded to drive to Santa Clarita to see "March of the Penguins" with my sister and family. Great movie and great company. That evening when I walked out to my car I saw that my front left tire was flat. This time a bolt.
Called AAA again and waited a good two hours to get the spare put back on. I ended up spending the night in Palmdale and getting my tire fixed the next day at Big O tires.
I was on my way home on the 60 freeway and BAM there went my THIRD tire, this time my back right tire had a large bolt sticking out of it.
One of my fears has been having a blowout on the freeway and it wasn't as scary as I thought.
I Called AAA again and found out I'd have to pay 45$ because I'd used up all my free tow truck visits. Oh well. It had to be done. About 10 min later a tow truck pulls up so I get out with my ID and AAA card in hand, and it turns out that this is a free service paid for by our tax dollors. They patrol the freeways and help stranded motorists. So, I didn't have to pay any money to have my spare put back on.
By this time I was giddy with the obsurdidy of the whole thing. I've NEVER had a blown tire in the 11 years since I've had my liscense.

Because of the intensity of the situation it almost seemed super natural and my big question was and is, what do you want to make of this God??? Is there a reason for this crazy weekend??
I know that It really was a bit of an adventure and I do now know alot more about tires than I did on Thursday.... Maybe that is the big meaning, or it could be that my tires were much hotter in the 100 degree heat that they couldn't deflect a silly thing like a bolt....

Our future Audio Engineer.

Happy new year to all you bloggers and readers. Christmas was quite a whirlwind at our house and we are just beginning to feel slightly sane although still a bit grouchy and out of sorts. We disposed of our sweet little Christmas tree about an hour ago and I welcomed the smell of pine needles that the vacuum gave off as I cleaned.
The holiday was spent with family, Chris' and mine. We pretty much did something every day with family for the week before and after Christmas. It was fun and exhausting and Anders loved every minute of it and was pretty bummed when everything settled down.
The past couple of weeks Chris and I have been wandering around our house that was hit with Christmas chaos not quite knowing what to do with all of the wonderful gifts that we received. Everything has just sat underneath the tree in a pile and neither of us wanted to look at it for fear that we would have to deal with it. Before Christmas I was just beginning to feel like I had a handle on the clutter in our little space. The laundry is always looming but all the other stuff had found a spot. Now, I will be reorganizing and sorting and deciding what precious thing will have to be sacrificed for another precious thing. Should be fun.

Here is a list of some of my favorite gifts.

- a new copy of "Good night moon"
- a very nice picture album of our wedding reception in Ohio
- gift cards to Target, WalMart, Macy's and Starbucks (love, love, love, gift cards!)
- Christmas movies
- spa gift certificates from my generous and thoughtful husband
- a subscription to a cooking magazine
- a whole set of Johnny Cash cd's
- some very fun toys for the bunchkin

I think that my favorite thing about this Christmas was when Chris and I were able to sit in our living room with the lights turned down after all the festivities were over, and look at our pretty tree with it's twinkly lights. During those moments we were able to truly enjoy our first Christmas as a married couple and as new parents.
As overwhelming and as everything was it was fun. Memories were made, pictures were taken and overall everyone had a really nice time spending time together. I look forward to lots more Christmas fun in years to come.

Merry Christmas!



I broke down and took the baby to JC Penny's to get his picture taken. Chris was convinced that he would catch a cold from the shag carpet in the studio. It went well except for the fact that I scheduled the appointment for noon which is right when Anders gets fed. This was the best picture and I think that he is actually looking at me holding the bottle which I was giving to him in between pictures. He does have a look of anticipation on his face. We did all come down with colds a little while later....

This past week in Texas was blast. When we arrived on Tuesday night we went straight to Erin and Jims house. Erin had made some yummy ministrone soup which was very welcome after a long day of traveling. Wednesday, Chris interviewed with the company in Dallas and Erin and I hung around the house, went for a walk and visited Petey the faithful horse.
The weather was humid and pretty warm on Tuesday but the weather reports were predicting a drastic change by Wednesday night into Thursday.
Late in the afternoon a the air changed from warm and humid to dry and chilly. It was a fast switch and we really got a taste of Texas weather! By the evening it was thundering and lightening and Erin suggested that we should leave their house a night early and drive out to Heidi and Williams house before the the ICE STORM hit! We knew that we would be seeing E and J in a couple of weeks for Christmas so we decided to do the drive out to Denton on Wed night instead of Thursday.
The visit with Heidi, William and the kids was priceless. It was so special to be able to spend three nights and almost 4 days with them. The kids couldn't keep their hands off of Anders and he didn't seem to mind. He was kept smiling the whole time. They made him a fort (shown in the picture below), they carried him around and sang to him and basically doted on him the whole time. I only had to rescue him a couple of times. =-)
Chris' experience at the interview went well and on Friday he went in to the studio to do a freelance job for the company. It gave both them and him a chance to work together and see how it felt. They are still interviewing people so we won't know what the outcome is until mid Dec. We'll be happy with either getting the job or not getting the job. It would be a huge change to move out there and we have had so much change this year. We really are curious to see where God leads us with all of this.
One downside to the trip was that we all caught a killer cold. Anders is over it now for the most part and I am on the tale end. Chris was pretty miserable yesterday and hopefully today will be a bit better.
As a side note, the ice storm did hit on Thursday although it wasn't as bad as we thought. It was just REALLY cold and icy with a bit of snow. It stayed cold through our visit.

Rain rain beautiful rain!


We are finally getting some weather that feels like fall. It has been one of the hottest falls this year with the temperatures getting up to the 90's on some days. My favorite time of year is Fall so it was so fun to wake up to the sound of rain on the tree outside our window.
It's 10:30 here and our day is just starting to get moving. Last night I stayed up late doing laundry and ironing clothes to get us ready for a trip to Dallas tomorrow. We're flying out in the early afternoon and there is a lot to get together since we are traveling with a baby.
I have two sisters that live near Dallas so it's going to be great to visit and catch up on the time we have missed.
Although we are extremely excited about seeing my sisters and their families, we aren't going out there for that purpose. The last couple of weeks Chris has been sending out resumes to different companies that he is interested in. Up until now he has been working as an independent contractor doing audio engineering. He's done pretty well but it's always a bit scary if work gets slow. So, he has been interviewing with a couple of companies and one of those is in Dallas.
We'll find out more about this job and if it's a good fit, how stable it would be etc.... by Wednesday.
We are open to change but it is crazy to pick up and leave the place that has all of our friends most of my family and everything we know. I'm still processing the reality that we could possibly move if this job is the right one. I would love being near my sisters, it would be great to have cousins nearby for Anders, and we could by a house.... there really are benefits to living in TX.
So, we'll know by the time we get home on Saturday. I'm sure there will be a blog about it soon.
Until then pray for us if you think about it.

What a difference a year makes!



Wow, I was just thinking of how fast this year has gone and what blessings it has brought. Last year at this time I was contemplating moving to Dallas to be near Erin and Jim. I spent a wonderful Thanksgiving with them and realized that I was happy just visiting. I felt that it wasn't the right time to move. Shortly after that I found out that Chris and I were going to be parents. It was a difficult time of decision making and introspection.
Then came a short engagement and the most meaningful and lovely wedding we could have ever asked for.
We had about three and a half months of marriage before Anders joined our family. He was 7 weeks early and I have to say that that week was one of the most difficult and uncomfortable weeks of my life.
Our lives have changed so much since June and as I look back at how crazy life has been and the changes that have taken place I can only be grateful. I love my husband and son and can't imagine life any differently.
Some other things I'm grateful for....

- A big apartment where I can practice my nesting skills (and they do need practicing!)
- Parents who love each other and made a good home for us to grow up in
- Friends to have coffee and gab with
- Good books to read when I have time
- Sisters who I can honestly say are my friends
- The cool fallish weather we're having today (FINALLY)
- The possibilities of new things
- A wonderful extended family,grand parents, cousins, aunts and uncles
- A very handy computer savvy husband to keep our house hold technology going
- And of course a healthy happy baby

Hello Grandma and Grandpa Jensen, I just wanted to show you that I'm growing and I'm a very happy and contented baby.... most of the time. Sometimes mom props up my bottle so that she can get something done. She keeps checking on me even though I'm a big boy and can drink my own bottle without all her help.
I like sitting up and looking at bright toys but I keep falling forward because I want to taste the toys and I haven't mastered the use of my hands yet. I know that I have hands and I often have them clasped together because it feel kind of nice.

One of my favorite things is playing with daddy when mommy's at work. We have a really good time together and he's very good at making sure I get a big bottle of milk every few hours or when I start chewing on my fist. Today we played a really fun game. He would hold me up in the air and then bounce me onto his tummy. I laughed a lot and even tried telling him how much fun I was having.
Anyways, I can't wait to see you at Christmas and I love the little outfits you sent me. I especially like the socks that look like tennis shoes.
I hope you have a nice Thanksgiving. I'm hoping for a taste of turkey but I don't think mommy will let me yet. Maybe daddy will slip me some mashed potatoes.

Hmmm... it seems like Anders likes bananas as well as rice cereal, blueberry yogurt and... Polynesian pile-on.
For the last few weeks whenever Anders would see me or Chris eating anything, he would watch intently and drool. He has seemed more hungry and a little less content. All of these signs pointed to the fact that solid food was about to happen.

At my parents house on Sunday night Anders got his first taste of "real" food compliments of daddy. That first food was a small piece of rice as well has a taste of Chicken gravy. By the time I realized what had happened Anders had a look of glee on his face and was happily gumming the piece of rice. There's no turning back now!

On another note my sweet chinchilla, Bubba, found a new home today. It was sad to say goodbye but my hope is that he will be able to have a little more attention at his new house than he was getting with me.