Anderson Family Happenings: Catching up

February:

Ed was gone for a good chunk of February. His Air Force unit decided that now would be a good time for him to upgrade to Aircraft Commander, so he started that process by flying a trip to India and Sri Lanka, with a nice stop in Vienna on the way home. He was pretty impressed with Vienna.

While he was gone, work on our living room continued. The roof was fixed, gutters were fixed, walls were dried out, and insulation and drywall were replaced. So fun for me to have workers in and out of our home while Ed was gone...

We also celebrated Valentine's Day with heart-shaped waffles.

And I figured Ed being gone was the perfect time to potty train the KK. Silly me.

She actually picked it up pretty quickly - she had been asking to go potty for a while, but then suddenly developed an unnatural fear of the toilet and the terrifying sounds it makes when you flush. Thank heavens for potty chairs! After several weeks of figuring out the process, I finally convinced her that the big toilet wouldn't eat her, and she hasn't looked back. Just kidding, she has regressed like crazy. Not my hardest to potty-train, but I guess it would've been too much to hope she'd be as easy as Keira (who potty-trained herself). Onwards and upwards.

March:

March was busy busy with all the little things that add up - doctor's appointments, babysitting, visiting teaching, birthday parties, time spent with extended family, giving blood, participating in a stake choir and Relief Society conference. Track started for Keira. Kimberlee tried tennis and decided she still didn't want to do any organized sports. I taught lots of piano lessons. Busy busy. But there were some highlights:

This little section of our home was finally all put back together. Carpet pad was replaced, carpet put back down, trim replaced, walls textured, and after this they painted everything beautifully. So glad to finally have it all done.

Krista Mae spent some time as Sacagawea.

She participated in her class play "We Love Idaho". She did such a good job memorizing all her lines and songs, and enjoyed it so much she tried out for the school drama club play. More to come on that later.

We celebrated a couple birthdays:

Ed and Kimberlee had a pizza party with the Laws (along with Donna and Brian).

Ed celebrated his birthday by working (isn't that always how it is once you grow up?), and Kimberlee wanted to keep her birthday low-key, so we did. She's 15!

We went clothes shopping, she went to sushi with her dad, and we finished up with hamburgers at home and watching Sully (her request).

One of Kimberlee's birthday presents was getting signed up for driver's ed - more to come on that later too. We really, really like this girl.

We finished up the month with a fabulous trip to Zion National Park. We had to make a couple stops on the way. First up, Shoshone Falls:

Then a night with Amy and fam:

Then on to the park (get ready for too many pictures):

We hiked and hiked and hiked. Ed carried Karoline most of the way. Kassie did a lot of whining, but somehow managed to survive. The older girls loved all of it. We hiked to the Narrows (but not IN the narrows - it was closed), to the Emerald Pools, and the Watchman Trail. It was all pretty incredible. Next time - either when little kids are older or when Ed and I go by ourselves - we'll hike Angel's Landing.

And this is what we came home to. The winter that never ends.

April:

Ed went on another Air Force trip, this time with a couple stops in Cairo (can you see the pyramids?)

and Cypress. Oooh, ahhh.

Later he spent some time in Seattle

and...wherever this is.

Keira was so anxious and excited to add some more accessories to her face.

Once they were on...she wasn't so excited. Those things hurt! She's slowly but surely getting used to them.

That same day I took my oldest baby girl to the DMV for her driver's permit. "I guess you could say things are getting pretty serious."

Grandma was so gracious to agree to come dye Easter eggs with the girls. I was supposed to be at Keira's first track meet, but it was cancelled due to a rogue snowstorm. So we all got to hang out.

The Easter bunny came!

So did Ani to spend the night.

We enjoyed a beautiful Easter Sunday at church, then Easter dinner with the Andersons. Perfect.

Keira did eventually have a couple track meets.

Keira has decided that Track isn't her favorite. She doesn't like that they want each kid to compete in 4 events, when she really only wants to run distance. So...she competed in 3 events, but really only focused on her mile time - and she definitely improved! She didn't care if she came in last (which she did), or close to last (which she usually did). It was all about beating her last time. This girl's confidence never ceases to amaze me.

Krista and Kassie showed off their artwork at their school's Art Gallery Night.