Siena Joy

We JOYFULLY announce the arrival of our precious little Siena Joy. Sorry to be a little belated! She was born on December 16th  and weighed 7 pounds 3 ozs. Big sister Nicaea had a little cold so she was first introduced "through the glass". I'm not sure what she thought but she has been very gentle and sweet with the baby so we anticipate all good things. We are so delighted with our third granddaughter. She is an absolute beauty with adorable dimples and a gorgeous head of hair already. God has blessed us with this new little angel to love and adore and we couldn't be happier! We love you so much Siena! XO Darlin'!

Cecily Brynn

After a much too long hiatus from blogging, I am compelled to announce with great excitement the birth of our granddaughter Cecily Brynn Kinnaman born one day ago on September 30th! It has been an absolutely amazing 30 hours. I am so grateful for this little darling. Her mommy is super woman and had to work like I'm sure she never imagined to bring this sweet baby girl into this world. We are all in awe of Mindy. And Josh too braved challenges he certainly didn't plan on, but they both are now blessed with their 8 pound 6 oz. daughter. Jeff and I are so grateful to God for hearing our prayers. We look forward to sharing so many special times with Cecily. XO Sweetie! You are so very loved!

Happy Bday Brett Patrick!

Brett turned 20 years old today. No longer a teen... but now a man, in a new decade. I wish him so many wonderful experiences in his twenties. But mostly, I pray that he will always walk in the light of God and count his blessings, big or small. May he be surrounded by family and friends who will be there to support him and celebrate with him as he continues to maneuver his way in this world. And may he continue to be the kind, giving person that he is and look for opportunities to serve others.

My dear son, you amaze me every day with your drive and determination. You inspire me and you are the reason for my favorite scripture. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13.
I love you so much Brett! 

Anniversaries! 32 and 2!

Jeff and I celebrated 32 years on April 25th and Aaron and Lynette celebrated 2 years on May 1st!

Pat's Run 2012

Eight years strong for Jeff, Aaron and Brett! I am so proud of them. I hope they continue this tradition. This year Nicaea was along for the ride in her stroller and Matt and Lindsey also ran this year. Lynette and I cheered them on as they entered through the tunnel and toward the finish line. It was an especially hot day in April. Close to a record heat I think? But they were all troopers. I believe a nap was in order for EVERYONE yesterday afternoon after the race! Today marks eight years since the death of Pat Tillman and it is wonderful to see his foundation grow and have such a positive impact on people. GO DEVILS!

My baby girl is home!

Yes, they are always our babies, no matter the age! It was so wonderful to see Katie at the airport tonight! I hugged her and didn't ever want to let go. Of course her honey, Tyler, rightly got the first squeeze. It was so sweet to see them reunite. And then Jeff and I got our turn. Now that she is back, I wonder how I managed to keep my calmness having her so far away. Actually I don't have to wonder. It was definitely prayer, no question about that. Jesus kept me sane. Thank you Lord for the safe return of my sweet girl! I brought Katie a bag of bagels and yummy cream cheese. They are her favorite! But her first request on the drive home was to stop off for Taco Bell. Guess they don't have those in France? Now I know she will get some much deserved sleep after an adventure of traveling home that spanned 36 hours! Sweet Dreams Tonight my Kate! I love you! Mama

Happy 24th Birthday Katie!

Katrina is 24 years old today and spending it in Barcelona, Spain. Weird not to talk to her but did get a text. She will be home in 9 days and I cannot wait to get her back here in the good old USA! She has had a wonderful time and I know it will be so sad for her to leave the family that has blessed her with their love and generosity, taking her into their home as their "adult" daughter. I know Katie loves them and will always hold a special place in her heart for them. As a parent, I am so grateful to them. Words can't express how fortunate I feel Katie was to have them bless her this way. May God Bless them always. Looking forward to giving my girl a great big bear hug very soon! We love you Kates! SOOO much! XO!

Happy Easter Everyone!

Had a beautiful time at church today. Feeling so blessed and loved by our Lord. Now looking forward to a great day celebrating with family. Hope everyone has a very HAPPY EASTER!!!

Happy 3rd Anniversary Mindy and Josh!

I can't believe it has been three years already since Mindy and Josh said, "I Do!" That was such a beautiful event and I am so delighted to see them growing in love and sharing their lives together. May you both enjoy another year making memories to last a lifetime. You are such a special couple! Love you guys so much!

Mindy is 27!

I had a great day today spending it with my special birthday girl Mindy! What a treat it was to have her birthday land on a Sunday so we could share the day. Jeff and I & Mindy and Josh took off in the morning to see the movie The Lorax. We always enjoy when we are able to have special 2 on 2 time with our amazing adult children. Mindy and Josh always have so much fun together and we have so much fun with THEM! Later we ate lunch together AND dinner together. We are so blessed and fortunate to have such a wonderful daughter and son in law! Happy Birthday to our sweet Melinda! May God Richly Bless Your Year! We love you so much!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Happy 80th Birthday to my Valentine Dad! Love the cake that Amber made. :)

Brett's Scary Day (and ours)

Okay, I want to write this all down before I forget anything. Today started out peacefully. I slept in after a late night. I went to bed after Brett got in which was 2 AM. Mindy called around 10ish to see if we were home. She brought over a present. Three really cool books. Always fun! So we were enjoying her company and just hanging out talking. Brett was still sleeping. A little after 11:30 AM we heard a loud boom and we all three started running down the hallway toward the noise which ended up being from the small bathroom, door closed and locked. We knocked and called Brett's name, no response. We did it louder, no response. We pounded the door and yelled his name...no response. I yelled for Jeff to get the key above the door and he opened it while our hearts quickened. Jeff opened and pushed the door and it only budged about 6 inches before it pushed into Brett's slumped body. Jeff could only see his leg. Mindy said, "Should I call 911?" "YES!" And Jeff pushed the door as hard as he could to be able to squeeze in sideways. I followed. Fear gripped my heart as we called Brett's name and there still was no response. Time played tricks as it felt like forever that we tried to get Brett to wake up and I absolutely had a feeling of the worst but quickly pushed that out of my head. Did he faint and fall into the wall or did he fall and get knocked out when he hit the wall? That was the question! Jeff struggled to lift him up and finally he fluttered his eyes and they became huge as he tried to figure out where he was and what was going on. We managed to get him out to the couch, something we agreed later was probably not the best move. He had hit the wall hard and caved it in so it was a concern that he would have head, neck or back trauma. Once on the couch, Brett was holding his hand over his heart and I was asking if he had heart pain. He said "No", but he was mainly just scared and freaked out. Up to this point, he hadn't conversed much but he started praying, "Our Father Who Art In Heaven...", and asking us to pray with him. I was so grateful that Brett turned to God and knew how to calm himself with God's presence in his heart. What a Blessing. At this point I had taken over the 911 call and as I was answering questions and giving details, Mindy started looking pale and was saying that her heart had been beating fast and had just started beating very slow, about half what it had. She was definitely having a physical reaction to the stress and now I was also worried about her and telling the dispatcher that my daughter was also not doing well and I would need someone there for her. The fire department is just across the street and they were to our house very quickly but it still felt like forever. They knocked, dogs went crazy. It was a blur. But once they came in I felt better. Brett also seemed to be feeling less anxious. I think there were about six guys in the house. Some tending to Brett, some tending to Mindy. Asking questions, checking vitals, etc. We took one medic back to see the wall where Brett hit and upon seeing the hole, he highly recommended taking Brett on a stretcher to be safe. They put him in a neck brace. Mindy was given oxygen and her numbers started coming around and she felt better. Whew. One better, one to go. :) I quickly threw some items in a bag and got dressed. Before I knew it, they had Brett loaded up and I drove in the ambulance with him to Mercy Gilbert Hospital. Josh made it to the house to be there for Mindy and she was doing well. Jeff headed to the hospital once Mindy got on her way. Many tests followed... CAT Scan, Chest XRay, Urine and Blood Tests, EKG. Brett had been feeling nauseous so they added medicine to the IV to help with that. He had a great doc who explained everything well and talked with Brett and us at length to give us that comfort level. Everything checked out and he was given a diagnosis of Vasovagal Syncope. (Explanation follows). It turns out to be pretty common according to the doctor. As we pieced things together, we determined that Brett got up to go to the bathroom, was feeling nauseous and as he stood to wash his hands his legs must have buckled and down he went falling backward into the wall. Later at home Aaron and Lynette stopped by for a visit with Nicaea. Uncle Brett enjoyed that. So, I guess that is a pretty good synopsis. Through it all I think Jeff and I remained pretty calm. We are just feeling very grateful that both our blue eyed kiddos survived the drama of the day and are no worse for wear. Thank you Jesus! Now if Brett will perhaps take this as a hint that maybe, just maybe, it is time to TRY to get on a better schedule of sleeping and eating. A mom can only hope...
(and pray) :)

"Vasovagal syncope occurs when the part of your nervous system that regulates heart rate and blood pressure malfunctions in response to a trigger. Your heart rate slows, and the blood vessels in your legs widen. This allows blood to pool in your legs, which lowers your blood pressure. This drop in blood pressure and slowed heart rate quickly diminish blood flow to your brain, and you faint."

I asked the doctor what would have happened if we had not been there and he casually said, "Well he might have been out for as long as 15 minutes but he eventually would have woken up and been fine." Easy for you to say doc. :)

P.S.- Sweet Katie if you are reading this... Sorry for the news via a blog post. Since you are traveling, it's the only way. But all is fine now!

Aaron turns 29!

How can I possibly have a 29 year old! Wow is all I can say. It is great to see Aaron in his role as a Family Man. He adores his wife and daughter. Seeing their sweet little threesome just melts my heart. It feels like yesterday that Jeff and I were our own little threesome with him. :) Thank God for simple blessings. Happy Birthday to you Aaron and may you enjoy your year to the fullest! We love you!

Nicaea's First Birthday!

I can't believe Nicaea is 1 year old! Time DOES fly when you're having fun. And we sure have had SO much fun enjoying her first year. What a blessing she has been. Last Saturday was her big party at McCormick Railroad Park. She started out pretty timid with her cake but ended with a decent amount of pink and purple frosting on her face. She was a trooper, staying in a happy mood all day while being fussed over and passed around. She sure got spoiled with lots of presents and will be the best dressed little one year old around! This picture is of Aaron and Lynette lovin' on their sweet baby girl after the party in the parking lot, ready to head home and pass out after such a long day. Today, Nicaea's real birthday, will be spent with Mommy and Daddy in a relaxing fashion. I'm sure they will simply be enjoying their little angel and thanking God for the greatest gift of all.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY NICAEA GRACE!

Birthday Blessings to Jeff!

Jeff's birthday was Wednesday so HAPPY BELATED BLOG POST to you honey! He took a vacation day so we enjoyed hanging out all day. We had a yummy BBQ Pizza at Joe's Farm Grill at lunchtime. Then we went over to Liberty Market for dessert, an Ice Cream Cookie and Red Velvet Cake. Mmm. In the eve we had the family dinner at Joe's BBQ. So thank you to JOE for the free birthday food for Jeff. I think they still got us for enough $$$. :) After dinner we came to the house for MORE dessert, Chocolate Cake and Ice Cream and/or Root Beer Floats. Again Mmm! All the kids went together and got Jeff a Cardinals Jersey with his name and high school number. He was completely surprised and thrilled. What a great gift. And great idea Mindy! I hope my dear sweet hubby has a wonderful year filled with special blessings and many happy moments! I love you
Jeffrey Alan Anderson!

Shiny!

Katie showing off her ring. It is so beautiful and so "her". We are so happy for Katie and Tyler. They are such a wonderful couple and have so many great times ahead. Unfortunately the next few months they are back to Skyping since Kate leaves for France Friday. :(

Big News for 2012!

KATIE AND TYLER ARE ENGAGED! We are so excited for them! They are spending a few days over in San Francisco and Tyler officially popped the question on December 30th in Golden Gate Park. So, we have not seen the beautiful ring he picked out yet but we can't wait to see them when they come back Tuesday I think... And then Katie will head back to France on Friday I believe. :( Despite her difficult time getting to the US due to the security personnel strike in the Lyon airport (3 day delay) we have had some fun times since she has been home. And I'll be sad to let her go again but she is going back an engaged woman and that will be fun for her to tell everyone over in France. :) Many blessings await these two love birds! P.S.- This photo was taken on Christmas so BEFORE engagement hence no ring yet. Cute how the hands are positioned...