Starting the New Year off with a BANG!

Whew! I am glad that the holidays are over and that the New Year seems to be going off to a great start. With all of the resolutions I made this year, I'm hoping that I can stick with it. The family is doing great, we are all ready for the challenges that await us. As for me, my challenge of the year has already begun. I started my second semester at BMCC online classes with a full credit load of 16 credits. And then the same week that school started I received a calling to serve in the Church Primary Presidency as the President. With all of the changes that the ward is waiting to make in the primary, we have a lot of callings to fill and it can be overwhelming. But knowing that the Lord will always guide and direct me to help me through any of lives situations.

For an up date of the rest of the family, Monte is loving his job and is constantly receiving compliments from patients. This reassures him that he is doing something great and only a certain few are blessed with helping those who have medical challenges. He has been blessed greatly by a loving Father in Heaven. I truly love Monte and can not think about what my life could have been without him. Everything is just perfect!

Paige is getting to be a big girl now, as she says. She will be turning 4 next week. Mom's challenge is to make a Tea pot cake complete with tea cups and saucers. We will see how things turn out. Paige has been a big help with Payton and she loves her so much. When Payton goes down for a nap, Paige gets sad because she won't have anyone to play with for that time. But it doesn't last for long with Paige's wild imagination.

Payton is trying to walk, each day she takes more steps then the last. It is a joy to watch her learn new things. She can be quite comical sometimes, okay most of the time! She loves when her daddy comes home, she knows that she needs to give him a big hug and a kiss. So cute to watch.

Well, this is our crazy life so far, but we wouldn't trade it for the world.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

We wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! With these wishes we would like to update everyone on the happenings of our family. Now let us begin our family updates:

Monte graduated from OHSU on August 13, 2011. He is now a licensed Physician Assistant and is working for St Luke's Eastern Oregon Medical Associates in Baker City, OR. He is taking care of all of the acute patients that come in daily and he loves it. We couldn’t have been blessed with a better company to work for then St Luke's.

Paige (or Paigers, whichever name you prefer to call her) is busy as ever. She has enough energy to last her from sunup to well past sundown. She will be turning 4 in January and she is looking forward to taking Ballet classes from the Crossroads Art Center here in Baker. She loves to attend the reading sessions and activities at the library. She is also going to be moving up to her new Primary class at church. She is excited to learn more every day and loves to make new friends. She is very into tea parties (we serve hot chocolate instead of tea.) and playing with her Barbie dolls. She also loves to play with her younger sister Payton.

Little miss Payton (or as we call her PayPay). She is growing up so fast. On December 10th she will be turning 1 years old. She hasn’t started walking yet, but is well on her way to begin any day. She loves to play with or rather annoy Paige. But she doesn’t mind keeping mom in shape by going up the stairs at least a billion times a day. She loves her pet cat Bishop to death. He is very loving and gentle to allow her to lay on top of him and literally pull his hair out, but he loves it. Every morning when PayPay wakes up, Bishop has to come over and flop himself in front of her to get his good morning loving in. Mind you that this happens all day long if Payton would sit still long enough. She loves her fluffy fleece kitty blanket and she loves to eat. She also loves to play with balls and cars. Although you may think that she is sweet and innocent, miss PayPay is going to be our drama queen. When she doesn’t get her way she will let you know it. I believe I have my work cut out for me. However she does have her moments where she is very loving and will give you hugs and kisses.

As for little old me, I am taking online classes from Blue Mountain Community College, keeping house, raising two beautiful daughters, and being a wife to a loving and wonderful husband. I am also slowly decorating our 1910 Victorian home. Just keeping busy as always but loving every minute of what we have been blessed with this year.

We want to wish everyone again a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May you all be blessed with all that your hearts desire for 2012!!
Love,
Monte, Misty, Paige and Payton Anderson

Happy Anniversary To Us!!

My goodness, I cannot believe that Monte and I have been married for Eight years now! Honestly where has the time gone? We both agree that we can't remember what it was like to be single. We love being married to each other even when the times get tough. Through these past Eight years we have definately seen the Lords hand guiding our path together.

When Monte and I first met it was back in the Single Adult Branch in Pendleton in 2002. I was absolutely smitten with him from the first moment I met him. I love his fun outgoing personality and he was always cracking jokes (some were better than others) ;) He is such a peoples person and wanted to make sure that everyone was having a great time. I also loved the fact that he had and still has a strong testimony of the church. These are just a few things I love about him!! If I write any more he may read this and walk away with a big ego and then I'll have problems. hehehe!!! The lord knew that I needed to have Monte in my life, the week of our wedding my family experienced a terrifying trial. One that I hope to never experience again. But Monte was there willing to support me in what ever laid ahead and as always was able to provide me with a priesthood blessing. From there, we continued to see the Lord's hand guiding our lives. We truley have been blessed by being together and I'm grateful that I have a wonderful man to share eternity with.

We are excited for this next chapter of our lives to begin. We can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for our lives. Here's to eternity and more!! Love you Sweetie!

Heading to Baker

Well, this past month has gone by way to fast all in preperation for the big move. Yes we are moving once again. But this time it will be for good, well at least longer than one year. We are all very excited for Monte to start his new job at EOMA in Baker. He will be doing family practice. We found a beautiful 1910 Victorian home in the historical district which I am excited to move into. It is definately my dream home. It is 4 bedrooms 2 1/2 baths with a formal living area, family room, kitchen and formal dinning room. It has a total of 2400 sq feet of living space with an unfinished basement. I don't mean to brag, but when you have been living in either a one bedroom space for the past several years while living with family and friends(thanks to all who supported us by allowing us to live with them) or in a very small apartment...Let's just say it's a big deal for us. This is our HOME!! We will be moving at the beginning of October. I'm really excited for the next chapter in our lives. We definately know that the Lord's hand was involved throughout this whole process.

Graduation Just Days away!

YIPPEEE! I cannot believe how fast this past year has gone. Monte has just one week left of clinicals and then 3 days of call backs before graduation! I am so proud of him and yes he will have to deal with a very emotional wife come graduation day. Don't worry I've already warned him and I'm sure that he will be prepared. The sad thing is that we will have to say good bye to some really awesome people that we have become very close to over the past two years. His classmates have been a big part of our family and have seen Paige grow from 18 months to a now 3 1/2 year old. They even have seen miss Payton grow from birth until now. It will be hard to see them all go their seperate ways. :(

As far as family news go, Payton is a few days away from being 8 months old. She is just about crawling, although it looks like she will go straight to walking instead. She loves eating solid foods and can't seem to get enough of them. Paige is doing well and has a wild imagination. She loves to play with her Barbies, pet shops and my little ponies.

All I can really say is that these two girls make me smile every day, I am very blessed to be their mother. Better yet, I know that I will be with them for all Eternity. That in and of itself is a true blessing. I love my family very much and wouldn't trade these last 8 years for anything. We have grown and been blessed in so many ways and it is just the tip of the ice berg. I know that we will face more challenges that will try our faith and love for each other but we know that the "BEST IS YET TO COME!"

Graduation Just Around the Corner

My goodness, I cannot believe that Monte is just seven weeks from graduation! We are both very excited that the next chapter in our lives will be starting. Monte is currently in his Preceptorship rotation in Heppner. He is enjoying himself and really likes the drs. that he is currently working with. The girls and I have been able to come and spend a week over here since my parents live in Heppner. Paige has been taking swim lessons and is loving every minute of it. She is a true fish! Today will be the last day of her first week of swim lessons and she has learned a lot. She can go underwater without holding her nose and she is learning to float on her back. Although she does have a listening problem and can't seem to stay next to the wall when her instructor tells her to. HMMM it reminds me of the stories of Monte when he was younger.
Payton is getting bigger, she is now six months old and smiles all of the time. She can roll over from tummy to back and back to tummy. She is wanting to walk, which is a scary realization. She is eating solid foods now and loves pears and squash. We had her 6 month wellness check and she weighs 16 lbs. which is in the 55%, she is 27 1/2" long and is in the 95% so we know that she will be a tall girl. All in all she is doing very well and is healthy.
As for news on my end, with Monte almost done with school, I now have the opportunity to go back to school. So this September, I will be going to school at BMCC. I'm excited and nervous at the same time. This is all the news from the Anderson household, until next time!

Only Three Roations Left!!

I cannot believe that Monte has three rotaions left of school and will be done. It has been a long battle but we are grateful for everyone that has helped us through this time in our lives. It will be interesting to see how life will be for us once he is done with school. Since we have been married Monte has gone to school about 7 years of it. (we have been married for 7 1/2) We have to laugh about it but we are grateful for the adventure. Who knows maybe I will go back to school and get my bachelors degree in Art History. Although I wouldn't go quite as long as Monte since I almost have my associates. We will see where the next adventure lies. For a family update...Paige is now three and is very independant. She has quite the attitude and is very outgoing just like Monte. Payton is three months old and is laughing and rolling over. We are getting ready to move into our own apartment. It will be nice having our own space and to be able to use our own things. We will update again when we get settled.

Exciting News!!

We are on the down hill slope!! It couldn't be more exciting that Monte has less than 200 days until he graduates!! He has also completed 5 rotations and has received two job offers and he's not even finished with school yet. Happy Days!! The job offer that he is most excited about is working for Dr. Brad Adams who is an Orthopedic Surgen here in Pendleton. On Monte's second to last day of work Dr. Adams approached him and asked him if he could stand working with him. Then he told him that if Monte was interested he would like to offer him a position at his clinic. He told him also that he wanted Monte to wait until June to let him know so that would provide Monte some time to consider it and to make sure that this is exactly what he would like to do!! What a blessing. I know without a doubt that the Lords hand has been with us through out this whole proccess. For that I am grateful. We will keep everyone posted as more information comes along.
For the next exciting news, Payton's blessing. It was such a wonderful time to have family here to celebrate this exciting time in our lives. Her father was able to bless her with some wonderful blessings. The one that has stuck with me has been when Monte blessed her as "a beacon of light to her family to lead them to the temple." Such sweet words and I know that if she stays faithful that this blessing will come true.
Another bit of exciting news is that my big little girl, Paige is now three! I cannot believe how fast the time has gone bye. She is growing up to be a wonderful little girl. She is very concerened about the welfare of others and she loves to help me do chores. She is also a wonderful big sister and tells her sister every day that she loves her or rather "she loves me". Her favorite movies thus far are Tangled and A Goofy Movie. We have watched these ones over and over again.
As for me, I am soaking up life and watching my little ones grow. I have been blessed to be a part of my Nephews life and enjoy watching him learn and develope into a sweet little boy. Although he does have his boyish moments where he gets a burst of energy but nonetheless, a sweetheart!

Payton at one Month old

I cannot believe that it has already been a month since Payton arrived. We had her one month check up on Monday and she is growing really well. She weighs 9 lbs 2 ozs and she is 21 1/2 inches long. She wakes up only once at night to eat and loves to interact with her big sister.

Payton Renae

Little Payton Renae was born on December 10, 2010 at 7:45 a.m. by C-section. She weighed in at 7lbs. 7 ozs and was 19 1/2 inches long. She has dark hair and long fingers and toes. We are excited to have this little one in our home and glad that she is happy and healthy. It's amazing at how small she is compared to her bigger sister Paige. Paige was happy to finally meet Payton. I believe that she is going to be a great big help to her momma.
We have also been blessed to have Monte home with us for eight weeks starting yesterday!!! Paige has been loving having her daddy home, they play together for hours and hours and the squeals of laughter is wonderful to hear throughout the house. I'm thankful for the christmas season and for the overabundance of love that is given and felt during this time. I hope that this love will continue throughout the rest of the year and on into the next.

Last Minute Preparations

Goodness, I cannot believe that it is almost time for this little one to arrive. It is two and a half weeks away and I don't know if I am ready or not. This will definately be a big change for everyone. The past few weeks I have been trying to make sure that everything is in order. Monte will be coming up the day of the C-Section and my mom will be picking up Paige the night before so I can get some sleep. After that I will be in the hospital for 4 days, that is if nothing goes wrong, and I'll be home on Monday. As for everything else that will be happening this coming month, I hope that I haven't forgotten anything. Christmas shopping for Monte has been done and Paige's will be done this week. Paige's Christmas pictures have been taken and will be sent out with the Christmas cards along with Monte's graduation save the date cards, Paige's 3rd birthday party cards and the new baby's birth and blessing announcements. So don't be alarmed if you receive a large packet of information from us. Amoungst all of the holiday rush and the new baby, I am gratefull for all that has come our way this year. We have gone through some pretty tough times this past year but we also have grown so much individually as well as together as a family. I am grateful for the gospel, especially the Book of Mormon. I can honestly say that a daily study of it makes my day go by much smoother then it did before. I know that our Father in Heaven has been guiding our lives and placing us in situations and towns that we can be of service to others. All I can say is that I love my family this is enough for me in my life. I love to know that we are a FOREVER FAMILY!!

The Start of Rotation #4

Monte has officially finished three of his clinical rotations!!!Yeah!!! He is on his way to Portland right now to start his fourth rotation in Dermatology. We are really excited for this rotation mostly because it is the last one before a well deserved break. Paige and I are ready to have Monte all to ourselves for three whole weeks during the Christmas break. We are also excited to announce that our new little girl will be here on December 10th unless she decides to come early. How do I know the exact date you ask...Well living in Eastern Oregon, I don't have access to a hospital that can handle big complications. Thus, we are playing it safe and having a planned c-section. So I have a little less than 6 weeks to prepare for her and make sure all of my Christmas shopping is done before then. I know that I will not want to walk around in busy stores for long periods of time after the surgery. So the other day I ordered all of Monte's Christmas gifts online and the last one will be here tomorrow. I've also made all of the babies birth announcements and Monte's save the date cards for his graduation next August. It will be a busy couple of weeks from here on out. I will post more as things come up...Until then.

Reinventing Diaper Cakes

So I found a site the other day that has taken diaper cakes to the next level. These are the two that I've tried to make so far. All I can say is that I think I want to do this as a home-based business so if you know of anyone in need of a unique gift for a baby shower, let me know.

Happy Anniversary to us!!

I am proud to say that Monte and I have been married for seven years! Yes that's right seven years. I can honestly say that it does not seem like it has been that long. Although when you look back on the years and count the time that Monte has been in school, we have been married as long as he has been in school from start to finish. Although when he graduates next August it will be eight years. We are both excited for the things this next year will bring for us in our marriage. Another little girl in December, her baby blessing in January, Paige's 3rd birthday, seeing his mom in March and of course the big day of his graduation in August. I'm sure there will be tough times ahead, but if we can survive PA school and being apart for the majority of it, I know that we will make it to anniversary #8. Monte has been a wonderful husband and father over the past seven years. He is more the man I married today and I am grateful for the faith that he has in himself and in our growing family. Paige, Baby #2 and I are truely blessed to have him in our lives. Happy Anniversary Hunny!! I LOVE YOU BUNCHES!!

Family Update September 2010

Well, we have been busy but not all at the same time. Monte has finished his second rotation in Portland and he will have a week of call backs this coming week. Then it is off to Nyssa, OR for his third rotation in Community Medicine. We are both excited that this is happening, but at the same time, we are unsure of how often we will get to see each other. The first two rotations has spoiled us to no end. Monte only worked 3 or 4 days and then he would be home on the weekends. But, we will see what this one holds.

I have been trying to stay busy, but some days seem to drag on and on. I watch my 4 year old nephew during the week, along with Paige. But the nights always seem the longest. I LOVE when the weekends come because we get to see Monte. Paige is always excited when he gets home. She will mention "daddy home" in the prayers the night before he comes. Just to make sure that Heavenly Father knows that he will be on his way and to help him arrive safely. I also get to do a lot of trips to the Drs. office. Paige and Thaiden both had ear and eye infections on top of a really nasty colds. They had to be put on antibiotics for 10 days and then we had to go back to the drs. in two weeks for check ups and flu shots. I myself have Drs. appts to go to. All of which are going well so far. I am currently 26 weeks and definately feeling pregnant this time around. But I still love the part of being able to feel the baby kick and move all of the time. She is very active little one.

This month Monte and I will be celebrating our 7th wedding anniversary. We can't believe it has been this long, but we are grateful for all of the fun times we've had together thus far. We are just one year away from Monte being done with school and hopefully we will be able to travel somewhere for longer than the weekend to celebrate. We are hoping to go to Hawaii, but we will see where we are at financially for that trip.

As for that, this is all that we have been up to or will be up to in the upcoming month.

We're Having a Girl!!!

So after all this time I was so sure we were going to have a boy, the ultra sound tech. told me yesterday that we are going to have another girl. We all excited to have another addition to our family and can't wait until she arrives in December. We have a few names to decide through so we will have to post them at a later date until I can get middle names to go with them. However, Paige is very excited to have a lil' sister. She has been telling us all along that she wanted a lil' sister and she indeed got her wish.
Today I pulled out all of Paige's baby clothes and it was a bitter-sweet moment for me. I can't believe that she is going to be three in January and that her little sister will be wearing her outfits. I remember just about each time Paige wore an outfit that I kept and it will be wonderful to capture the new baby in each of the outfits as well.

As far as finding out what we are having, our family has survived Monte's first five week rotation. I can't say that it was easy being away from him, but we were blessed to see each other on the weekends. Now Monte is back in Portland for a women's health rotation. Yesterday he was able to assist in the delivery of his first baby as a PA (student). He was on call last night and I am waiting to hear how it went. I'm hoping to get to see him this coming weekend, but we shall see how things play out in the next few days. Well that is all for now, I will post more as things come about.

Let the Clinicals Begin!!

Monte will be starting his first clinical rotation tomorrow in Ontario, OR. He will be working at a Pediatrics clinic there for 5 weeks. Paige and I already miss him and every hour Paige will ask me about daddy. It breaks my heart to tell her that he is at work and we will hopefully see him on the weekends. That is if our finances will allow us to travel there and back. We pray for him daily and hope that all goes well for him.

As for other family news...We have moved yet again. This has been the 8th time that we have moved since Paige has been born, I think we average about 4 times a year. And yet it will not be our last time I'm sure. Paige and I have moved to Pendleton, to be closer to family while Monte is gone. Just in case I need to go to the Hospital for any reason before the baby arrives in December. All is going well so far with the baby. I am currently 16 weeks along and can feel the baby move a lot. (He) has been very active lately. At 13 weeks we were able to hear the baby's heart beat, which was 150 beats per min. Paige and Monte were both there during this appt. and it was cute for Paige to keep saying "Baby, Baby" and point to my tummy. I have another appt. on Monday so I will hopefully find out more about the delivery. It sounds like I will be having another c-section since the hospitals in Eastern Oregon are small and aren't equipped for complications which may arise but we will find out for sure.

Other then that this is all that I have for now. Will post as more comes up.

Bomb shell of News!!

Well, since I've delayed writing anything for April, I might as well get everyone caught up on some news. First off, Monte will be starting his clinical rotations as of the first part of July! We are really excited we've made it past the first year of school. I am truly thankful that it is over. But now we get to endure being apart for five weeks at a time depending on where his rotations are. His first and second rotations are still being worked out since the current second years are finishing up their rotations. We know for sure that Monte will be going to Boise for his third rotation which will be towards the end of August into September. And then he will be back in PDX for his fourth rotaition in Dermatology. Which is perfect planning on the schools part and which leads me into our next bombshell of news.



Monte and I are expecting our second baby! Yep that's right. Baby #2 is on it's way. The due date is December 19. Which was again perfect planning altogether. Monte will be out of rotations for three weeks during the Christmas break. Something that we are greatful for. We're not sure how Paige will react to a new addition to the family. She is pretty set on being the only one for right now. I had my first ultrasound on Monday this past week and I am currently nine weeks along. We aren't out of the clearing yet but we are praying that things continue to go well. I do have to say that when I saw the little one on the moniter I immediately felt that this was our little boy. I started to cry because I hoped that it is true.

This pregnancy so far has been really rough. I have been sick a lot more than I was with Paige and I'm craving foods that I never did with her. Instead of fruit cravings I have vegetable cravings and I cannot get enough Orange Dream ice cream. I also love the Roasted Chicken breast sandwiches from Subway.

Well that is our news for now, we will keep everyone posted on how things go from here on out.

Past Two Months of Updates

Wow how time flies by!! In just a few short days it will be April and I still have yet to post updates for February and March. Well, let me get everyone back up to speed to the happenings at the Anderson household.

In February, I had started a part time position at a GYN clinic. It has been great, I worked two days a week and still had the pleasure of being home with Paige and handeling the affairs of the household, all the while taking two online classes from PCC. Monte was deep into his winter term at school and was prepping for finals come March. Paige on the other hand was being sweet and adorable. We had gotten her ears pierced and she loves to put on make-up(when she sneaks into mom's), chap stick(she wouldn't be my daughter if she wasn't addicted to chap stick) and of course she has to have her nails painted at all times. A little high maintenance..But nontheless we love her so much. Along comes March since Feb. is such a short month.

The first two weeks of March was complete mahem. Monte and I were both getting ready for finals and I ended up starting to work full time. The gal that was training me went into labor a few weeks early and I am covering for her while she is gone. Good news is that I don't have to pay for a sitter, my gram has been a great blessing and loves to watch Paige. The only sacrifice I make is driving the one hour to drop her off. More good news this month is that Monte and I both passed our finals!! Whew! This past week, we were on Spring Break and were able to spend some time up in Northern Idaho. It was a blast, we played minature golf, swam, exercised and spent some needed relaxation and time together as a family. It was wonderful to see that Paige is becoming more independant and she wanted to swim all by herself. Of course, we made sure that safety came first and purchased her a swimsuit that contain flotation devices in the upper portion so she basically could bob along in the pool. However, she was dogpaddling across the pool and loved to jump into daddy's arms. Needless to say, when it came to swim time, Mom was not in the picture. This was just Daddy/Daughter time. When it was time to come home, Mom headed back to work and Monte took Paige out to a movie in the theater. They ended up watching Princess and the Frog. It seemed like they had a good time. Well that is pretty much the update. Monte and I will be starting school again on Monday and I will continue to work full time until the beginning of May. I hopefully will post something for April in April. Until then!!!

January's Update

I know that we are almost to week two in February and yes I am just now posting the updates from January. We had quite a month. In my post before Paige is now two years old and is definately acting like a two year old. Time outs are becoming much more frequent becuase she is in a hitting phase. She had her 2 year check up on the 2nd of February and she is getting bigger. Her weight is now into the 25% before she was in the 10% range for her age. A BIG plus there. She is 75% in her height which hasn't changed at all. She won't have another well check until she is 3!!! Monte is still doing well in school, he is 5 months away from starting his 2nd year!! He is very excited and so am I! I'm doing well in school myself. I have mid terms coming up next week and I haven't stopped studying. We had a very busy month will all of the small things that have been going on but these were just the highlights.