The Anderson's: April 2012

More gifts for Anna

More gifts arrived from friends and family for little Anna!

This basket of goodies is from our neighbors, Andy and Mandy!

This adorable swimsuit and sun hat are from Aunt Nancy! Can't wait to see Anna in this!

This little Singaporean dress is from Phuay Mui - Dave's Singapore counterpart!

Thank you all so much! We appreciate you thinking of our little Anna!

Cooking with Dave

As you all know, Dave is quite the cook! He whipped together his own take on "The Bacon Bomb" as seen of the TV show, Man vs. Food. Here it is:

This manly meal of all meals is made of two hefty pounds of bacon, minced pork, prosciutto, salami, and Genoa ham! Dave added sage, basil, oregano, garlic, chili powder and some salt and pepper to season it. It's currently cooking for two hours on the grill - "cook it low and cook it slow" - is Dave's motto for this recipe! Can't wait to try it! And by the looks of this meat monster - I'm sure we'll have leftovers for days!

In Loving Memory of Uncle Tom

In Loving Memory of my great Uncle Tom, who passed away Monday, April 23, 2012.

I have many memories growing up of all of us at the Getz house on Morse Lake every 4th of July! We love you and miss you and Aunt Jessie very much!

Thomas A. Getz Obituary: View Thomas Getz's Obituary by The Indianapolis Star

A visit from Grandma and Grandpa Pike!

My parents visited us last week and got to meet their new granddaughter for the very first time! It was amazing seeing my parents' faces light up when they first saw Anna and how they immediately fell in love with her. It makes me proud - proud as Anna's mother and proud to be their daughter.

We spent the week hanging out and enjoying our time together - it was great! When we weren't at baby stores shopping for Anna (Grandma and Grandpa already love to spoil her =) we did venture out for a few fun stops as well! We went to York, Barton, Matlock and Bakewell to tour and shop! Dave also took Dad to Abingdon so he could see where his 1967 Austin Healey was made. Dad and Dave also cooked quite the feast for all of us on Easter - an 8 pound turkey, homemade gravy, asparagus and baked mac 'n cheese - it was great!

Having my parents here was such a great gift and I wish I could have frozen time for a bit. Watching them interacting with Anna made me well up a bit (me, emotional?!) - I think every part of me was smiling - especially my heart. We reminisced about old memories and it made me smile because I know one day, Dave and I will be doing the same thing with Anna - reflecting on our lives and memories together - and it makes me happy. Since they left, I have been feeling a bit nostalgic about my own childhood - about all the amazing things my parents did for my siblings and I and all the vacations we took, the family dinners at the dinner table, soccer games, family get-togethers, all the love and encouragement they always provided. I hope someday I can be half as good of a parent as my parents were, and still are to me. I hope I make them proud.

I feel so blessed to have two of the most loving, caring and special people in the world as my parents.

Here are some pictures from the week:

Warming up with a spot of coffee at the Waterfront Pub - Barton Marina

Anna sporting her new sweater from Grandma and Grandpa!

Dad giving Anna the tour of Bakewell

Antique-ing!

York

The "Queen" with Mom, Anna and I

York Minster

The Queen and Prince Phillip were having lunch at this restaurant - we tried to get as close as we could to get a glimpse!

Dad at the British Motor Heritage Museum

Happy Easter!

Anna's first Easter!

Anna in her new outfit from Grandma and Grandpa Pike!

Grandma and Grandpa Pike are here!!!!!!

Grandma and Grandpa Pike are here!!!!! We anxiously awaited the arrival of my parents and we are so excited they are here visiting us! We don't have a lot planned other than just spending time together - nothing better than that!

They also brought gifts! Mom and Dad brought these adorable little outfits for Anna and also brought some gifts from Great-Grandma Wuensch and Great-Aunt Laura - can't wait to see them on her! Also, Mom brought me a little something too! It's a charm bracelet with Anna's name on one side and her birth date on the other! My Mom and her five sisters started this tradition as a Mothers Day gift for my Grandma forty years ago with charms of all their names and birth dates and has been a tradition for all the women in our family ever since! I am so excited to wear this bracelet not only to carry on this family tradition, but also because of what it represents - my little Anna Grace.

I can't even begin to express how thankful I am that my parents were able to come over and meet their new granddaughter. I am a proud parent and a proud daughter! So excited to have them here!

Aren't these so cute!!!!! Grandma and Grandpa Pike have great taste!

My bracelet!

These are from Great-grandma! And, she knitted this blanket! So adorable!

This cute little outfit is from Great-Aunt Laura!

Anna: 1 month old!

Anna is already one month old! I'm not quite sure where the time has gone! She has already changed so much over the past month and I notice new things in her every single day, so I decided I'll start documenting her monthly milestones right here on my blog.

She is eating well - I am pretty sure she is currently going through a growth spurt as she eats all the time! She already has a really strong neck and is starting to pick her head up on her own - I'm quite impressed! She is also starting to use her arms to push herself up! When she's awake, she's very alert and loves to look around at everything.

Anna sleeps well, but seems to have her days and nights mixed up! =) She might be the cutest little thing I have ever seen, not to be biased or anything! She amazes me every single day and I just can't stop looking at her and giving her hugs and kisses.

This little girl makes her parents so happy!!

Anna is now an American Citizen!

We headed down to London last week for our appointment at the US Embassy to report Anna's birth and to apply for her first US Passport and Social Security card! After a few hours and lots of paperwork - Anna is officially a US Citizen! It was an exciting day - and a long day! But Anna was a trooper and slept through the whole process! This was Anna's first big road trip and overnight trip! We didn't have a lot of time to tour London after our appointment, but Anna did get to see the city of Westminster, Hyde Park, Marble Arch and she took a ride on the tube for the first time - lots of firsts happening and she was only three weeks old!