Visit to the Shepards...

Knowing our travles would be limited for a while after the baby is born, we wanted to make sure we made it down to Rebecca and Andrew's house before it came. So with his days off falling at a good time for the Shepards, Scott loaded us up and we headed "down south" Jan. 18-20th. We arrived Thursday night and enjoyed seeing not only Rebecca, Andrew and Justice but more of Andrew's family as well. And that was just the beginning. Our dear friends the Wissmann family from Seward Neb. was scheduled to sing at a church near the Shepards Friday night, and so Thursday evening they pulled their looooong bus into an icy driveway and we had a houseful!

As it ended up, because of the icy conditions, the concert was cancled, providing a day of fun and games at Rebecca and Andrews all day Friday. We all had a great time, there was a lot of wonderful food cooked by Rebecca and always someone to play with or talk to!

Friday night the Wissmanns headed on, (they are on a 7 week "tour" right now!) and as couples we went out to eat at the best Mexican resturant I have ever been to. Paul and Justice did really well, although we found a LOT of crackers under the table after the meal!

Back at the Shepards we enjoyed playing cards (until waaaaay too late) and a good nights sleep. Saturday morning dawning with a few snowflakes falling, which should have warned us to watch the weather, but since we planned to leave by 1pm, we were not too concerned.

Well, it turned into a small blizzard and the drive home was slow- about 45 m.p.h. the whole way, but the Lord kept us safe and we made it back fine. We had a great time- we got to see all the work they have done on the addition since we were there last, (In August) and it is just beautiful!! We miss you guys! See you after the baby is born! Paul playing the drum
Foosball was the guys activity of the day

Did I say ALLLLLL day? :)
The girls prefered a calm game of Yatzee :)

The visit....

As I mentioned before, we had a great visit with Scott's mom and nephews. Paul loved the constant attention and was always trying to stay in the center of everything! A christmas gift from Grandma. (Which has become the "car" toy and he loves it!)
"The Boys" :)

Paul's first birthday

AHHHH! I am so behind on blogging! Here are a few pictures of Paul's first birthday. He really enjoyed his muffin with cream cheese on top.

Ulmer Christmas

We had such a wonderful time this year! We feel so blessed to have my family close and the Shepards willing to make the trip! Careful documentation....
Enjoying others enjoyment
Spending time with ones you love
Becoming goofy and musical????
Getting tired....
Very, very tired!!

Paul's first Christmas

Here is our little guy with his new hat and book. Can you tell he is not sure what is special about this day? My personal favorite gift we gave him. Something that makes noise and that he can climb on!

Christmas cookies

How many years does it take to make something a tradition? I hope not long! Snowman cookies made with the help of Moses, Micah, Charity and Phoebe. (Paul tried to be a help!)

A happy crew ready to do some eating on Christmas day!

Trying to catch up

Dear Friends,
I know it has been a while since I posted, life has been very busy lately and I hope things are finally slowing down a little bit! We are so richly blessed, thank you for all the ways you touch our lives!
I am not going to post pictures tonight, (I promise they will come soon!) but wanted to take a minute to catch up a little on our lives.
We had a great Christmas season, enjoying family time at my Grandma's house Christmas Eve, and then with Rebecca, Andrew and Justice (and the whole family) at Mom and Dad's house on Christmas day. Scott had to work Christmas evening and we really missed him! THankfully, we had time for our own Christmas with Paul in the morning. I think we were much more excited than he was! This year for Christmas Scott got me a present that I have wished for since we got married. Due to great generosity of some friends who are moving a few states away and some hard work on Scott and Seths part- we have a PIANO in our house!!! It may be used, but it is soooo nice to have one! I have really missed being able to sit down and play (poor as I may be). I can't wait to get it tuned up and start really practicing. Scott really enjoys it too, and hardly a day goes by that he does not stop and try to play a song. He is such a natural with music, it will not take him long to figure out how to play!
Friday the 29th brought Scott's Mom and two nephews, eager to be here for Paul's first birthday. We had a great visit, highlighted by a party for Paul with my family here as well. He was a little overwhelmed by the attention at times, but it was a lot of fun and he is enjoying many new things from everyones generosity. Monday the 31st started the second deer season here and Scott took both boys out hunting- but unfortunatly did not see any deer. It was cold and snowy and I was glad to stay inside with Paul! Tuesday brought a close to the visit and we had a hard time saying goodbye. Thankfully, Mama Sue will be back when the baby is born, so we do not have too long to wait!
Through Christmas and the week following we were constantly on alert as I was the midwife for a friend due with their 3rd baby. Sunday the 31st found me headed out around noon, and by evening I was back home, a beautiful birth and precious baby girl resting with her parents. The Lord really blessed and everything went well- It is always a incredible moment when you are with a family who share with you the gift of welcoming a new life to this world!
Hunting season has kept us busy this week- a final chance for the winter to put some deer in the freezer. Scott got a doe Wed. night, and Sat. night I harvested a little button buck. (I might post pictures- please comment if that would make you too green!)
And that it a nut-shell puts you up to date! Of course there were many special moments through the past weeks that I have not even started to touch on, but hopefully I can add those with pictures over the next few days! We are heading back to "normal" and looking forward to it! I guess we need it too, because the calendar says that in a little over a month we will probably start a whole new normal! I am starting to get really excited about this little baby- not long to go and not many "big events" between now and then. We will keep you posted!
God bless!
For the Ansons- Lydia

Christmas...

It's almost here! Around our house it is beginning to look very special!

I will admit I am a die-hard tradition loving soul. I just love the atmosphere of Christmas. The lights and garlands, the tree, nativity, the presents, the secrets, the food, family.... I look forward to this time of year very, very much! I can easily be consumed in all these very temporal things and fail to appreciate the deeper meaning. I can't wait to make special cookies, wrap presents, get cards and pictures in the mail....all good, but I often need a reminder of the greatest gift we celebrate.
Not only Christ and the life he gave for us, but the life he now gives us through him! I have so much to be thankful for. A wonderful husband, a beautiful and healthy little boy, and another (VERY active) little one on the way! Now, I just need a good dose of self-control with a first Christmas here for Paul. No one warned me how hard it is to walk into a store at Christmas time and not come out with everything for your little one!

A tale of basic health care...

How do you stay healthy in the month of December when everyone you know or work with is coming down with some sort of nasty sickness? The flu or a persistant cough... maybe that sore throat?
Well, first you pray. Second you take good care of yourself and third, you use good common sense and STAY AWAY FROM SICK PEOPLE! :)
So we have been busy here in our little corner of Nemaha county, pounding down vitamin C and eating raw garlic in just about everything! Paul is actully the one who promted that.....
After baking at a friends house last week, I left with some extra winter squash from their gardens bounty and several bulbs of garlic. We love this hearty bulb and season a lot of our food with it. On this occasion I just put the whole box in the living room, thinking Paul would enjoy playing with the squash. He did, but the garlic was much more interesting. I figured all it would take is one good bite and he would leave it alone. Not Paul. :) He somehow broke off a clove and stuck it in his mouth. He liked it well enough to suck on it for about 15 minutes! After that it started to get a little hot for him and he would spit it out, only to pick it up again and chew on it for a while longer! I was amazed, but not about to stop him.... that is a cheap way to build the immune system!
It must have done the trick because both Scott and I have had light colds, but Paul is staying very healthy. We pray this continues and are keeping plenty of garlic on hand just in case! For those not interested in the power of raw garlic, try this immune boosting idea that is very tasty!
4 bulbs of garlic, split into cloves
4 TBLP. butter
Lay the garlic in a small baking dish. Cover the garlic with pats of butter. Cover with foil and bake at 350* about 35 minutes, or until garlic is soft. Can be eaten warm plain, (yummy!:) or used as a spread on bread. Enjoy!

Pregnant profile...

For those of you who have asked.... here is a rather posed shot. I feel a lot bigger this time around- I guess everything is already stretched out! I am hungry all the time too- which is better than being sick all the time! We can't wait to meet this precious gift from the Lord!

Walking

Paul is learning to walk. Our little baby is growing up! The week of Thanksgiving he really decided to figure this walking thing out- and he has become very successful! He is not totally steady on his feet yet, and cannot get up off the floor without something to grab and pull up on, but he takes many steps by himself all the time. I only wish I knew how to put those video clips on here so you all could really see him in action! :) From chair to shelf...
And shelf to Mom.
Sometimes you fall down and it is really funny!
Sometimes you fall down and really need a hug!
"See my teeth?"
Hahaha! That's funny Mom!

Smile for Grandma!!!

I have been trying to get a picture of Paul so you can all see his teeth- but he is always making these funny faces instead! You can kind of see them in this shot- I will be working on a getting a better picture up soon!

Scott's new job...

Well, I know it has been a while since I have posted- I will try to get you up to date! :)

The first of November Scott began a new job here in Seneca. He is a Corrections Officer at the Nemaha County Jail. He was approached for the job by one of the deputys and was eager to find out more. Although it was actully a little pay cut, we felt it was an excellent opportunity to get into the law enforcement area, and there are nice perks like insurance and overtime pay. Working out the schedule has been interesting... the jail was going from 2 full time jailers to full staff, 24/7 with 5 jailers. However, one of the other guys did not work out, so they are working odd ball shifts for now. Currently, (and indefinatly) Scott works 4 days and has off 3. They work 10 hour shifts- which means either 7am-5pm or 5pm-3am. (Or in the REAL laungue of the Sheriff's department, 7-17 or 17-3 :) And to make that more interesting, Scott works 3 days on one shift, and the 4th day on the other shift. He has Wed, Thr, and Fri. off each week. So a little change and a lot to get used to! But he is really enjoying it.

I have learned a lot about how a jail works in the past few weeks- it is not a place I am planning vacation for anytime soon! There is a big difference between jail and prision, and here you have about 3 good options for you time. Sleep, watch tv, (Is that really a good option???) and play cards. You are fed one of three cereals (rotated by the jailer daily) for breakfast, and you get a tv dinner at lunch and supper. If you are lucky, some relative may want to order pizza or a sub sandwich for you- which they can; as long as they provide enough for you, the other inmates, the jailer and the dispatcher. Oh, and as long as you and the other inmates have been good- no fights or other problems. One in trouble means all in trouble. Oh, and talking about trouble, you will be locked down in your cell for the day; as long as you get out for 1 hour out of 24. Because that is one of your 2 rights in jail. Right #1, at least 1 hour out of 24 out of your cell each day. Right #2, 2,600 calories a day. Everything else is extras.....

Anyway, Scott is provided some mighty fine looking uniforms, and wears cuffs and a handgun to work everyday. They did special weapons training last week, and Scott is now legal to conceal and carry. Wow! Although they do not really recommend it. They say that the best help you can usually give when off duty and by a crime is to be a good witness. You do not want to get into a shoot-out with a guy at the gas station when you have your wife next to you and she could get shot!
Don't mess with this fellow....:)

So, we are doing well. Deer season starts tomorrow, so we will be out way before light to try to bring in some antlers,.... errr meat. :) For our anniversary last year Scott got us both new hunting rifles, and this fall he baught a nice scope for mine. It is a 7mm Remington Short action ultra mag. (For those of you who know what that is, that's a nice gun, for those of you who have not a clue, I really could not explain it... But it shoots big bullets!:) It has a good kick, but I am ready for it! Hopefully I will have a picture or 2 to follow up on this subject soon!

Milestones....

The past few weeks have been weeks of change in Paul's young life. He has reached several milestones all at once it seems. Through the end of Oct. he cut through his first 2 teeth. They are in the middle on the bottom, and they are REALLY SHARP! :) I would like to get a picture of them soon, but it is hard to get him with an open mouth, without his tounge in the way!

Then last week he completely weaned. This was harder on me than Paul. He seems very happy with a bottle and real food. It seems hard to believe that my little baby is growing so fast! It is a good thing though, we wanted my body to have a few months without feeding Paul before the baby is born.

The third big thing was also last week at my folk's house. Paul had his first real haircut! I had trimmed around his ears before, but the whole head needed to be done as he was starting to curl in the back! Knowing that 10 month old little boys do not sit still very well, we enlisted the help of my family. And it took just about all of us!

I started out with the clippers, Mom held Paul, Scott took pictures, and about 3-4 sibilings took turns feeding him different foods to keep him happy.

Here is a "play-by-play" of the whole process!

Before the cut- totally oblivious :)
"I am ready! What is taking so long?"
"Ummm, I don't like this any more!"
"Mom- what are you doing to my head???"
"Boy am I glad that is over! Look at all the hair on the floor!"

Home....

A burst of inspiration, a quick search on the world wide web and a few thoughts running through my head...

In the year 2003-

· The Nation had an estimated 2,153,464 burglaries in 2003, a slight (+0.1 percent) increase from the 2002 estimated figure. The rate of burglary in the United States was 740.5 burglary offenses per 100,000 inhabitants, a 0.9-percent decrease from 2002 data.
· Victims collectively lost an estimated $3.5 billion as a result of burglaries in 2003 with an average dollar loss of $1,626 per incident.
· An examination of the burglary data indicated that forcible entry accounted for 62.4 percent, unlawful entry comprised 31.2 percent, and attempted forcible entry made up 6.3 percent of all burglary offenses.
· Most burglaries (65.8 percent) occurred at residences; most residential burglaries (62.0 percent) occurred during the daytime.

In the year 2005 residential fires claimed 396,000 homes, injuring 13,825 people, killing 3,055 people and creating a direct dollar loss of $6,875 MILLION.

Not to mention the thousands of foreclosures each year.

Home

By Edgar A . Guest

It takes a heap o' livin' in a house t' make it home,

A heap o' sun an' shadder, an' ye sometimes have t' roam

Afore ys really 'preciate the things ys lef' behind,

An' hunger fer 'em somehow with 'em allus on yer mind.

Home ain't a place that gold can buy or get up in a minute;

Afore it's home there's got t' be a heap o' livin' in it;

Within the walls there's got t' be some babies born, and then

Right there ye've got t' bring 'em up t' women good, an' men.

Who used t' love 'em long ago, an' trained 'em jes' t' run

The way they do, so's they would get the early mornin' sun;

Ye've got t' love each brick an' stone from cellar up t' dome

It takes a heap o' livin' in a house to make it home.

If you have a home- why wait to the 23rd?

Thanksgiving is the smile a conntent heart wears.

Playing in the leaves...

Paul sure loves being outside! I am clinging to the last nice days of autum as I know that soon it will be too cold to spend much time outdoors. Of course deer season starts at the end of the month, so we will be out a lot for a few days, but Paul may get to stay inside with and aunt or uncle some of that time! :)

How are you today!
Let me see what is over here.....
Oh, these taste good!
The End! :)

Grandma Sue's visit!

We loved having Scott's Mom come in October. The last time she was out was in July, and we missed her very much! Now that the visit is past we miss her again and can't wait to see her around Paul's birthday. Paul LOVED his Grandma coming to visit. He spent a whole afternoon one day playing with Grandma so Dad and Mom could take a nap. (A rare treat!)
Thanks so much Mama Sue for bringing out the crib and the stroller for us. (A mint condition garage sale steal- a double stroller that will get a lot of use next spring!) We can't wait to see you again! Stay warm and safe.

Snack time!
I love my grandma!!

Paul....

No posting would be complete without some pictures of our precious boy. Paul is growing and so much fun. He is beginning to become board with some of his toys, so I am trying to be creative when it comes to keeping him productive. He is thinking about walking, but not taking any steps yet. And big news! He is cutting his first teeth!!! You can actully feel 2 teeth on the bottom of his mouth! Scott and I have joked for so long that he was never going to get teeth. He will look different- I can't wait! I gave Paul his first hair cut this month. Just a trim around his ears, but I need to wrangle him down and give the whole thing a trimming. It is starting to curl in the back.... too long for our little boy!:)

See how big I am?!
I love that camera!

Scott's mom made it out for a visit this past weekend and Paul really enjoyed spending time with his Grandma. I will try to ge those pictures up soon.

Thank you all for your patience with our blogging troubles.... I hope to chat with you all again soon! God bless!

Lydia for the Ansons

Weddings and friends....

Well, Scott has been looking around, and we think we may have a fix for our blogger problems... But we will see!:) We have had a great October, the fall weather has stayed, but becoming rainy and cooler. We have enjoyed a lot of time with friends through this fall and that has definatly been a highlight. We also had those 2 weddings I mentioned before. Kayla and Jonathan Pollock had a very sweet and simple country wedding and Scott looked so handsome as a groomsman! The day was sunny so people hung around for quite a while enjoying the weather and visiting.

The new Mr. and Mrs. Pollock :)
The second wedding we attended was Emily B. and Allyn Weddle. Their wedding was a little bigger and had a full meal afterwards. My family was very involved in food help for the meal and Rebecca and I were honored to cut cake. All in all, we spent a good time laughing and having fun in the kitchen. I have heard that the new Weddle couple is back from a northern trip honeymoon but have yet to contact the new bride myself! :) Mom doing veggies, Rebecca eating, and Justice very, very sleepy....
One of the great things about weddings is the friends you get to see and spend time with. Our good friends the Gurnseys from way northern Neb. came down early and stayed with Scott and I for a few days. Mandi and I go way back and we had fun spending a few days together. Alex and Scott were troopers watching little ones while we women did "wedding stuff". :)

We also had Rebecca and Andrew stay Saturday night. It was a short visit, but great to spend a little time with them. Andrew even treated us all to a Dairy Queen ice-cream cake! Yummy!!!

I think there are 2 guys tired of wedding talk and ready to get some sleep :)