Have you ever played the Question Game?

"EVER GONE TO WORK 

WITH A BOOGER ON YOUR EYEBROW?"

"MADE YA LAUGH!"

I think it was Lindsay who introduced the Question Game to our family last time we were all together as an Anderson Family. Sit in a circle, everyone making sure they can see the eyes of everyone in the circle. The first person starts by looking a random person in the eyes and asks a question. That person then looks someone else in the eye and asks a different question. And so on. Just questions. No answers. If you laugh or hesitate or actually give an answer to the question - you are out!
Just as my Mom had taken a drink of her non-caffeinated beverage, my Dad asked someone the above question, "Ever gone to work with a booger on your eyebrow?" Mom's drink came spraying out her mouth and nose! As if we weren't already laughing at Dad thinking just maybe he was asking out of personal experience, now we were pointing and laughing at Mom. Perhaps it's one of those 'ya kinda have to be there' occasions but it hasn't stopped us from turning that question into an inside family joke that is used quite often when you've just done something really stupid.

I'm pretty much giggling to myself right now just remember some of the other questions...and reactions of that evening!  Ahhhh!  I love my family!

Welcome Home, Brynlee

Isn't little miss Brynlee the sweetest little thing you've ever seen!

She has grown from 2 pounds to 5 pounds 

in her 10 week stay at the NICU

and was able to come home last week! 

Congratulation Keith, Lindsay, and Hannah on your little miracle coming home!

Those tears! That bottom lip!

Doesn't that face just make you want to go and pick her up and hug and kiss her?

yeah...well...it just makes me laugh!  

Oh!  And hey!  You can actually see her bottom teeth!

  And YES, I picked her up right after I was done taking pictures! 

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9 months!

She makes me laugh!

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{Lindsay}     {Miles}     {Natalie}

A quick wrap up of the holiday

Christmas morning turned into Christmas day which turned into Christmas night - WE HAD AN "ALL DAY" CHRISTMAS and it was so much fun!   We opened up a few presents Christmas morning before we found out that Ian had actually gotten on a flight out of Chicago and was going to be in Indiana by noon.  After picking up Ian, we opened a few more gifts.  We went to the hospital to visit Brynlee and Scary Santa who was there to visit all the NICU brothers and sisters.  I think Scary Santa was a patient from the psych ward on the 5th floor of the hospital.  Tom kept saying "no wonder Hannah and Tatem were crying!  I was scared of him too!"  Ian wondered if Scary Santa had just returned from him break where he went out and smoked a PACK!!  Now that our children are scared for life, we visited and cuddled with Brynlee real quick.  By the time we were able to get back to opening the rest of the presents it was almost 9:30 pm.  We finally let Tatem open all the rest of her presents but she was spent - and cranky, so we put her to bed and finished opening her gifts.  By the time we were actually done it was 10:30 and it was off to the upstairs to play a bit of RockBand!  We already have a request for a Christmas miracle for next year.  Could it be that all of us are together on Christmas Eve?  NO.  Could it be that we have a Christmas with little or no stress?  NO.  Could it be that RockBand comes out with Christmas Music?  YES!!!  Now THAT would be such a great Christmas miracle!

Christmas morning

IT'S A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE!!!

LOOK WHO I FOUND!!

Thanks Santa for bring my dad to me for Christmas...but it looks like I'm still mad at you!

I'm mad at Santa!

He forgot to bring me my dad for Christmas!

That's right folks.  Poor Ian made his connection into Chicago early in the morning on Christmas Eve...and  2 terminals, 7 gates, and 12 hours later - he was still there.  He gets to wake up Christmas morning in a cold hotel room in Chicago.  We are so sad for him!  

We hoped for a Christmas miracle for Ian, but there were just too many others who must have needed that particular miracle more than him.  Hopefully he will be able to locate some blueberry muffins at his continental breakfast as to carry out his family tradition on Christmas morning.   

You are the best Daddy in the whole world!

WE LOVE YOU, DADDY!!!

 

Do you hear what I hear?

We are really excited for Daddy to come to Indiana for Christmas!!

Double your fun!

Looks like Tatem found a new friend!

And she's just as crazy as Tatem!

Tatems cousin, Hannah, has taught her a love of books.  

Only Tatem loves them a little differently than Hannah does.  

  Lil' T and I were able to spend a week in Detroit with Brittni Jo and her family, and were able to love on her sweet new little bundle of joy, Presley J.  I enlisted Brittni and her amazing photog skillz to take Christmas pictures of Tatem.  Check out her photog blog, POCKETS FULL OF POSES for cute pictures of my little Tater.  Thank you Brittni for your friendship and your skillz!  I LOVE THE PICTURES!  

Pretty in Pink

Hannah and Tatem in their Sunday best

Tatem's got some new tricks up her sleeves!

This video is for my baby's daddy, IAN.  He is the only one required to endure the entire 2 minutes of Tatem clapping.  Tatems new tricks are clapping and clicking her tongue.  She's learning new stuff everyday, like how to take Hannahs toys away from her when she's not paying attention.  Ya snooze ya loose.  Tatem is all over the place!  I could have put this being moble stuff off for another couple months!  Still no teeth but drooling like crazy, and everything, EVERYTHING goes in her mouth.  And...embarrassing but true...she's a shoe licker!  I love her!  I love her like crazy!

Sweet Little Brynlee Louise!

I love hanging out at the hospital with Brynlee. She pretends to be asleep every time I go in to visit, but I always catch her opening her eyes just when I'm about to leave. Brynlee raised her eye brows when I told her she's as beautiful as her mother, and she cringed when I told her to  watch out for her dad - his tickles are relentless - just ask her sister Hannah!  Brynlee is growing like crazy!  

Tonights weigh in has her at 2 lbs 12.9 oz!  Way to go Brynlee!

I am having a blast here in Indiana with Keith and Lindsay, and their two little girls. Hannah and I read books all day long,  sing songs, learn new animal sounds, and eat a lot. All things I'm used too, expect for that reading part.  

My Brother and his wife started a blog. Welcome!

Jeff and Becky Anderson
http://andersonretrievers.blogspot.com/

Tatems concert

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7 months old today!

Aunt Lindsay put Tatems tuft of hair in a pony tail the other day and I got the biggest kick out of it! It makes her look so grown up.

Tatem tried her first Biter Biscuit and Sweet Potatoes.  

She has an obvious love for both of them!

Yesterday at church during Relief Society she crawled over to some other lady, started digging through her purse, then pulled herself up to standing at her chair.  I was so surprised!  She's gotten up on all fours but has never actually raised her top half.  I wanted to start clapping for her  but refrained when I was hit with the foul air coming from Tatems direction.  I guess standing up by herself made her crap her pants.  Some things still scare me too Little T!  

Cute little Cousins

This might come as a surprise to you, but Tatem and I are on another vacation!

We are visiting Uncle Keith, Aunt Lindsay, cousin Hannah, and new baby Brynlee in Indiana. Tatem feels it's her job to help Hannah get use to the idea of having a little sister around i.e. invading personal space, being a copy cat, following her where ever she goes, and sharing books which should eventually lead to sharing shoes and clothes! That's what sisters do! 

Tatem loves her cousin Hannah!

Baby Brynlee Bangart is here!

My sister LINDSAY had her sweet baby girl, BRYNLEE LOUISE BANGART, on November 4th at 6:41 am. Brynlee was born at 28 weeks gestation and is trying to outweigh all the other preemies by weighing a whopping 2 pounds 6.6 ounces. She is in the NICU and all her nurses continuously comment on how beautiful she is! Uh hello...have you seen her mother? Of course she is beautiful! Brynlee is such a strong fighter. Uh hello...have you met her action hero father? Seriously, this girl has beauty, strength, faith and prayers on her side. She's one lucky little two pound turkey!I wanted to shed a little light on how much of a miracle this is. Lindsay was born with a heart defect that resulted in 4 open heart surgeries throughout her life. Her first surgery at 3 months old, and her last surgery was performed in November 2006 where the doctors switched the major vessels in her heart from one side to the other. Because "the switch" is a new procedure in adults there are no studies showing the likelihood of this type of heart patience going on to have children. No delivery doctor has ever had a patient like Lindsay before. Well, lets be honest, is there anyone like Lindsay? Really? Lindsay's own life is a miracle and now she has brought life into this world by way of another miracle. Little Brynlee is a fighter! Perhaps in the lightweight division, but still a fighter! It leads me to believe that Brynne's purpose here is a big one, just as Lindsay's is.  Lindsay is a mother!  A mother of three of her own beautiful miracles:  Hannah, Isaac, and Brynlee.  

Congrats Keith and Lindsay!   

"...they were estinky"

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Tater at the Pumpkin Patch