Monticello Bangart . . . ok, just Monty

Keith and Lindsay have adopted their second baby doggy. Apparently their first puppy Maddie needed a playmate, so they adopted a 2 pound Yorkie (even smaller than Maddie) and named him Monty (I try to call him Monticello, but it’s not sticking). Stella absolutely loves the dogs and wants to hold them all the time. Maddie and Monty have over-protective parents.

The Phoenix Zoo

This is the third time that Stella has been to the Phoenix Zoo. The first was when she was 5 months old when we took her cousins, the second was a few months later and I’m sure she was asleep. Now that she has started to name animals and make animal noises, I thought she’d appreciate it more this time. We went with Tyler and Justin again (and their mom Brooke). I believe she liked the elephant the most, and also got a kick out of the turtles. She loved sitting on the old tractor over by the petting zoo and really loved going into the petting zoo with all of the goats. One sneezed on Brooke and we all had a good laugh at her expense. The gross part of the whole day was the disgusting snake exhibit. Tyler liked it, but ewww, just thinking about it makes my eyes roll back into my skull.

Well Hello There!

Stella got a phone for her birthday because one month we came up with mysterious charges on our phone bill. The easy way out was to blame it on Stella because she liked to play with the phone and would throw herself to the ground in a tantrum if we took it away. Now she has her little Sleeping Beauty phone (Elliot picked it out), and can talk all the day long on it. When Aunt Lindsay and Aunt Natalie call, I let them talk to Stella who has now started responding in her little language and laughing at appropriate times. Elliot wasn’t very happy when he wasn’t the first to get this conversation from Stella, but unless he feels comfortable talking absolute baby-talk on the phone at work like Lindsay and Natalie, he’ll continue to get the silent treatment from Stella.

Justin and Tyler

Stella gets to play with Justin and Tyler almost every day because I go walking with their mom every morning. When their parents went on a little rendezvous to Las Vegas for several days, I was able to watch the boys for 2 days. We went swimming in our friend’s pool, read nearly every book in the house, watched movies and they took fantastic naps when I told them to. Justin had a little barfing incident the first day, but I’ve pretty much decided that these boys are the best behaved kids I’ve ever taken care of! Stella is our little social girl and loves to have people over, so she was in heaven for these 2 days.

Feliz Cumpleaños

I went to sleep last night confident that I would be the first to wish Elliot a Happy Birthday this morning. That was until the phone started ringing at 4:00 a.m.! We were grateful to learn that no one had died, which is what we always think when the phone rings at this ungodly hour. It was Santa Yoli Sierra from the Dominican Republic calling to wish Elliot a Happy Birthday. Elliot was fortunate enough to be able to share the gospel with and baptize Santa when he served his mission there nearly 10 years ago for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. In my deliriously sleepy state, I was happy to hear Elliot speaking Spanish again and laughing with his friend. After the phone call ended, and after our blood pressures went back down, we were able to talk a bit about Santa. I guess some missionaries wonder if their short time serving in the mission field will really help in truly converting someone to the gospel. Thank you Santa for remembering Elliot and reminding him that his labors are not in vain! . . . oh, and Feliz Cumpleaños, mi amor!

An Eventful Day

Stella must have been dreaming about dress-up today because immediately after her diaper change this morning, she wanted to put on her dress-up shoes she got for her birthday. She’s never been able to walk in them until today. It was so funny because she was just going about her day like regular, only now she wears high heels!

I’ve had the opportunity several times in the last couple weeks to help out one of my friends by watching her baby while she visits her father in the hospital. Stella loves Baby James and gets so excited to see him whenever he comes over. I think Baby James likes Stella too because he doesn’t mind her hugs and kisses every 3 seconds.

I’m happy to announce the new arrival into my sister’s family. Lindsay and Keith adopted a little puppy this week and named her Madelyn “Maddie”. She came to visit us today and even though it started out with Stella running away and crying at the sight of the dog, she eventually threw a tantrum if she wasn’t able to hold Maddie! Oh, and instead of throwing herself to the ground in a tantrum these days, Stella has started just stomping her foot. It’s so funny that we both just end up laughing.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Happy Birthday Dad! My father, Marc Anderson, turns 64 years old today! What a blessing he’s been in my life and in the lives of my brothers and sisters! (this picture has to be around 1985)

Miss Potato Head

Several months ago, Stella found this pair of glasses from a Mr. Potato Head toy. She knew that they were supposed to go on your face, and kept trying to put them on, so I helped her out. She was laughing so hard and enjoyed seeing her picture on the digital camera just as much!

Bathtime

10/01/05 – Stella gets so excited for her bath and can even climb in the tub by herself. I won’t include that picture, but this one should suffice.

The Mouse

10/01/05 – While Daddy was at the Priesthood Conference on Saturday, Stella and I went grocery shopping. I paused in the card isle to look through some of the cards, and the only attention I paid to Stella was to make sure she wasn’t standing up in the cart, which she loves to do. After I made my card selection (which took several minutes), I sat Stella down for the last time and took the LIFE cereal box away from her that she was playing with. It was then that I noticed the enormous portion of the box that was missing. No, not just a corner, a giant hole! She ate the box! I got a weird look at the check-out stand, but luckily Stella’s face had some cardboard on it for evidence.

Pretty Shoes

09/26/05 – Mother Dibble and Anabelle, Elliot’s mother and niece, share their birthday on September 26th. We were especially excited to see Anabelle because we’d heard about the "pretty shoes" she got for her birthday that apparently can’t be removed from her feet unless she’s unconscious. Anabelle’s obsession is not only shoes, but The Wizard of Oz, which is why she is so excited about these "pretty shoes." Isn’t it scary for a 2-year-old to look so natural in a tiara and dangling earrings?

Patience is a Virtue

09/05 – Who knows of a kid who likes to be in a carseat? Stella actually enjoys the trip out to Aunt Lindsay’s house in Litchfield Park (about 40 minutes away). Now that Aunt Lindsay is a stay-at-home wife, we get to visit her more often and she comes to see us too! Stella loves the visit and I love it that she gets to see her aunt so often! I’m so lucky to have a patient child!

Lights Out

09/11/05 – One night while waiting for Elliot to come home from church meetings, Stella and I were watching a delightful episode of Little House on the Prairie . . . ok, I was watching it, Stella was playing. As I was lounging in the recliner, Stella started tickling my foot. We played that game for several minutes, and then at the climax Pa’s life-lesson to Laura, I noticed that Stella wasn’t tickling anymore. I looked on the floor beside me and found this adorable heap of a sleeping baby. I guess bedtime should be a little earlier when your child starts putting herself to bed.

Watcher in the Woods

08/19/05 – In one of my magazines, I saw a bride just peeking over her bouquet and it made for a great picture. Natalie and Ian got a better picture than I did, but here’s the one I got. For the reception in Weiser, we framed a 5x7 picture of this pose and it seemed as though anywhere you walked in the house, Lindsay was watching you!

Mr. & Mrs. Bangart

08/19/05 – My baby sister Lindsay married Keith Bangart on August 19, 2005 in the Mesa Arizona Temple. Sometimes it seems like they’ve been together for longer than 8 months, probably because they were engaged for nearly that long as well! Lindsay was an amazingly beautiful bride and Keith is a welcomed addition to the Anderson family. The reception in Peoria was a fantastic party! Now that the wedding plans are all over, we are all bored out of our minds!