For my namesake

She has really done it this time.  My sister (your mom) has done some whoppers in life.  Pushing me out the garage window, tying me up and putting me in a closet, luring me to climb a tree with the ladder only to take it away...just to name a few.  But this time she has REALLY done it.  She went and named you after me. Me!

Lydia Suzanne.  It is a beautiful name that goes with an equally beautiful baby.  You are, you know, beautiful. {And I am sure you will be brilliant because your parents are.}  I'm not entirely sure that your Mama had all her faculties about her when she named you.  It did take a long while for you to decide to make your debut into this cold, bright, loud world.  If she had, she may have remembered there is a lot of baggage that goes with the name Suzanne.  Baggage I will talk to you about as you grow older.  Baggage I hope to help you avoid.

We won't go into it here.  It will shared in moments we get to share together, just you and me.  When I can sneak you away from your protective brothers, loving grandparents, and all the other entourage that will inevitably follow you.

I had special times with the aunt I am named after.  They were some of my most treasured childhood memories.  Unfortunately, that namesake did not turn out to provide the best modelling.  I promise to work hard to do better.  I am not a perfect woman.  I am an extremely talented sinner who bristles at correction but I promise to learn those lessons so I can share them with you.

With all my love and joy,
Auntie Suzanne

Dearest Elijah: Hard Things

Hey Buddy!  Whew!  What a week we endured last week.  I wasn't sure we were going to make it, but we did it.

Sometimes Mom has to make you do hard things.  It doesn't mean I don't love you or that I hate you as you suggested.  (Don't worry I knew it was the fear talking.)  I just means that I love you enough to push you outside of your comfort zone.  That's where God really gets to use you and where you really get to see the truth of the Bible in action.

I get it.  Really.  I do.  Mom hates doing new things with new people in new places too.  It makes my stomach hurt, my head ache, and all sorts of horrible things pop into my head.  It makes me irritable.  It makes me emotional.  It makes me plain mean sometimes.

We are a lot alike in this way. Sorry you got stuck with that trait of mine.

But we both survived.  You had fun at your team building activity on Monday with the strangers who are to be your classmates.  You thrived in your first week of school.  You even managed to do all the right things at your football game without Daddy on the field with you.

Hebrews 13:5 reminds us that "God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'"  You carried that verse with you last week along with the example of Moses who had to do hard things too, even though he didn't want to.

I know there are loads of hard things yet to come.  We will endure those too.

I love you, Elijah Christopher!
Your blessed Mom

Saying 'I Do' again....

A really long time ago my good friend Kristin and I were discussing our wonderful husbands.  She declared, "I can think of 10 different weddings I'd like to have with that man."  We giggled at the thought.

This week marks the 14th year of wedded matrimony for Chris and me.  And, truly, I would marry him again in a heart beat.  Not because I would do a whole slew of things differently but because he is greater these days than he was in those days.  (And I sure thought he was great back then).

1.  Christmas wedding at the Methodist church in Lead.  It has red carpet and a beautiful stain glass window at the front.  Plus decorating and food choices would be easy.

2.  A morning wedding with breakfast food and donuts instead of cake.  We Anderson's love our donuts and this takes "Special Day donuts" to a whole new level.

3.  Beach wedding in a warm place when it is cold in SD/MN/IA.  Um....I can feel the warm sand now.

4.  The surprise wedding.  Wouldn't it be a ton of fun to invite people to a beautiful spot and then....surprise we're having a wedding.  I think it would be fun.

5.  Getting married at the Our Savior's Lutheran in Sioux Falls.  It is the church my Grandma Louise attends and where my parents, aunts and cousin were all married.

6.  The candle light wedding in winter.

One of my all time favorites...at the apple orchard with Elijah and 3 month old John.

Expectant Waiting

To get into the habit I started bringing my phone to bed with me last week.  I didn't expect it to ring.  Let's get real, this is her first baby.  First babies never come early.

My phone rang at 6:00 am this morning.  "Whatcha' doing?"  My very cheerful sister asked.  "Just hangin' out," I replied. 

Her water had broken in the wee hours but contractions hadn't really started yet.  Summoned to the hospital since it had been more than four hours the boys and I packed up quickly and headed over to the Patterson place.

We have been hanging out all day.  The six boys and I.  Waiting.  Expectantly.  I have answered the occasional question from a curious nephew.  "What time do we get to go to the hospital?"   "How many more minutes until the baby is born?"  They are so sweet, those nephews of mine.

The last update had her half way there and resting after some medical intervention.  I'll keep praying.  And expectantly waiting.

The benefit of being at my sis' is I have access to her pictures. Isn't she beautiful?!

For....

...my sister, because I love her.

...my mother, because I miss her.