Snow!!

Our first snow of the season happened today! Thankfully, I went searching for a Christmas outfit with my mom and Josh yesterday and found a snowsuit at Old Navy on sale for $15. The lady at the checkout asked if I was buying it for the big snow tomorrow, and I just laughed and said, no...its just a good sale. Well...he already got to use them!! And Josh had SO MUCH fun playing in the snow. The first thing he did was throw snowballs...thats all he wanted to do! We built a snowman and took a walk around the block. Josh got to sit in the sled while we walked....he had a really fun time. We probably will get about 3-4 inches total. It is still snowing now. We were going to go up to the Swedish Embassy for a Swedish festival today, but with the snow I didn't want to go with all the stupid drivers...so maybe next year.

Patric made crepes for breakfast and hot dogs and mac and cheese for lunch. We had hot chocolate and watched The Polar Express and have a home made apple pie baking in the oven. Not a bad day if you ask me!!

Here are some pictures!
Patric dragging Josh in the sled.
Attempting a snow angel.
Daddy and son snow angels.
Throwing snowballs at mommy...
Good thing his aim is off!
Patric took a decent shot of Josh and I.
Love this shot!!
Frosty the Snowman.
If this isn't an awkward family photo I dont know what is!
I did my hair all nice for our Christmas photo and then played in the snow....so no family photo shoot today!

Also--a side note...a very fine man died today, Robert Brown. He was a great man and a close family friend. I pray that their family will come together this Christmas season and have fond memories of the great man he is. And I know that he and my dad are chumming it up in Heaven now! They were great friends.

Sasha

My big oops!

Well...Im just going to spill it. I went red last month because I didnt get pregnant and we really wanted to get pregnant. But red is SO difficult to keep red...especially on blond hair! So...this month, when we didnt get pregnant again (ugh!) I decided to change it back to blond. Easier said than done!! I dyed it three times...it only lightened the red to a more brassy reddish orange and made my roots blond.

This morning, thankfully (the one time I am grateful Josh was sick) Josh had a sour stomach, so I had to stay home from going into DC for some work. I ran out and got a box of hightlighting (which never fails me) and worked on my hair. So, now I have blond/orange hair. Oh well...its gonna have to do for now. My hair needs a rest from these past two weeks.

Note to self...STOP DYING YOUR HAIR WHEN YOU DONT GET PREGNANT!! Paint your toenails...clean the house...scream! Just leave the hair alone.

In other news...the Friday after Thanksgiving, Ian, David, Megan, Teri, Charlie, my mom, Gregg, Patric and I went to the temple to do work for my dad and his family as well as family on my mom's side. What a great experience to be in the temple with my family! There is something special about going with my brothers and sister...I hope that we can do it again soon!

oh...and today is the first day we get to open our advent calendar!! Patric and I worked on an advent calendar that will hopefully last a long time with our little family. I need to take a picture of it! I can't wait until Patric gets home so we can open the envelope, learn about Jesus, and eat some chocolate!!

Playing catch up....again...

Life has been crazy lately. We had a fun halloween night. Josh dressed up as DJ Lance Rock from Yo Gabba Gabba. This year we walked around the neighborhood instead of the townhouses. It was fun but Josh got tired at the end. He got a lot of candy! And, unfortunately, that means Patric and I have had an abundance of candy to eat.

We also went to New Jersey and New York last weekend for my cousin Helen's wedding. It was a beautiful wedding and a fun reception. Even though our GPS had a mind of its own, we had fun catching up with family. We went up to New York after the wedding and saw the church where my Aunt Anna and Uncle Tony got married in....even saw the actual records from their wedding day. I also got to spend time with my friend Sarah. I have missed that girl! I wish that we lived closer!!

Here are some pictures to update!

This was just cocktail hour...we loaded up on so much food, I literally gained 5 pounds from that night!! This is my cousin Julia and her favorite lobster server and my nephew John.
Patric took a lot of candid shots. Sitting around the table is, my aunt Anna, brother David, me, Aunt Laila, Uncle Lenny and cousin Mike.

The beautiful bride, my cousin Helen, and her new husband Andrew.
Helen and her dad, my uncle, Peter.

My great uncle John and me. Thanks to Patric for asking me to go get a picture with him. He is 90 years old. His son is behind him, Rostislaw. He shares the same name as my dad and is his cousin, but we grew up calling him uncle Russ or uncle Lou.
On the way up to NJ, Josh fell asleep with his ball like this...perfect photo op.

Most of the time, the kids were downstairs playing games and watching tv...but we pulled Josh out for a little bit of dancing. He loves to dance and was all over the dance floor....
literally all over the dance floor. That is my cute niece, and his partner in crime, Eliza.

Family shot...with Josh longing to go dance again.

NEW YORK PICTURES!
We walked around Times Square...of course I had to get a shot of this!
The inside of the old church my aunt and uncle got married in.

Congratulations NY Yankees!

The Motley Crue.
There was a store JUST for M&Ms, Im talking everything you can think of to buy, with M&M plastered all over it. It was a nightmare to be in...but my cousin Sonya wanted to buy something for all the kids. Josh got the m&m that is on the ground...it is a Green M&M dressed as the statue of liberty....it seemed fitting.

Halloween pictures
Before we went out trick or treating. My little boy wont stop growing up!


That's all for now!

Sasha

What have I done?

So---generally in life, when things don't go my way....I dye my hair....this was no exception, EXCEPT, I have never chosen this color before.

It is a bit darker and more red now than in this picture...since I messed up in the back and left some blond spots. Patric doesn't love it...but he knows it is only a matter of time until I change it to another color.

Hopefully I don't scare away any potential clients with my hair color choice.

Was this a mistake?

Happy Sunday!

On the way to church today, my heart was POUNDING! I mean, POUNDING! And tears started to form.....so I absolutely knew I could not say no to sharing my testimony with my church. Every first Sunday (with the exception of two out of the year because of special conferences) are set aside for the church members to fast and give thanks to their Heavenly Father. We also have the opportunity, if we would like, to go share our testimonies with the rest of the congregation.

I have felt impressed for quite sometime to share my testimony...but never felt as much of an urge to get up there as today. And of course, I bawled my eyes out...but every word I spoke up there I felt inspired to share....even if it was very personal to me.

What a spiritual high today! I have felt great all day! After the meeting, a lot of people gave me hugs and told me how important it was to share what I did...especially since there were people investigating the church there that day. I only hope I did not scare them away with my words! (and my blubbering tears!!)

Afterward, I went to ward choir and then went to a meeting for my Young Women's presidency. Came home, cooked some dinner, watched some football...and then an old friend from high school comes knocking on my door! It was so fun to catch up with him! His mom and dad still live in Montclair and just three houses down from me...so back in May when we were working on the fence, his dad walked by and Patric talked with him and then told him that I knew his son....anyways...for some reason today his dad asked him at dinner (and granted Aaron, his name, does not live with his parents...he is a successful broker who lives on the MD/DC state line...but he does see his parents quite often, or talks with them on the phone) if he remembers a Sasha...and Aaron said he did...and then decided to come say hi! It was so fun catching up with him! It is good to know that some of my friends are doing well! But, he also walked away with about 20 business cards of mine, a lead for my mom and told me that he was going to be sending me leads since he knows of at least 5 people that need a bookkeeper.

Now...I will not hold my breath...but I absolutely know that bigger things are in store for me, when it comes to my business...they just are. And I do not think it is just coincidence that he dad asked him about me TODAY...when we first met him back in May.

I think the angels in heaven recorded my testimony and that Heavenly Father blessed me for finally listening to the pounding in my chest. Too bad I didn't go up earlier! Even if I do not get any business from talking with an old friend...it was SO nice to catch up with him! And I mean, we talked about relationships, religion, politics...you name it! He is a great guy and it makes me happy to know he is doing well.

Now if you will excuse me...Im gonna go heat up some apple pie and eat it a la mode!

Fall Weather

Fall weather has come! On the days that I am not working, I like to take Josh to the park. Today I went to the park with Mary and then two other friends showed up! How fun! Josh planted a kiss on 10 month old Nadira and ran around with Maggie and Charlotte. Ladies man I tell ya! I joke that if he tells me later in life that he is gay I am going to flat out tell him he is a LIAR! He is ALWAYS all over the girls!!

We got to go to the Muse and U2 concert last night. I was in heaven for about 45 minutes. Muse is absolutely AMAZING!! U2 was good as well, but Muse is like a smidgen lower than Pink Floyd in my eyes. Their music is magical, and they are great live. I always say that if you are not good live, then you are not a good musician....cause computers can easily change something to make the cd sound good. I felt so alive last night...it was a well needed night...though I am VERY tired this morning! Josh woke me up. Patric and I always joked that it would be weird to have a little one come in our room to wake us up in the morning, and it has finally started.


Josh hanging out with Charlotte and Nathaniel. Look how happy he is!
He would NOT smile for me!
Sharing his snacks with Nadira. I still can't believe he knocked her over and gave her a kiss. I asked him today if he wants a brother or a sister (when we actually get pregnant) and he said sister. He always says sister...and the funny thing is, I feel like it will be a girl next....
I can't believe how big he looks in this picture. Where did my baby go? At least he is smiling here!
He is truly a joy to have around. I miss him when I have to work, but he is in good hands and enjoys his time with Ella.

Anyway--life is good...not too much to complain about right now. We hope soon to be expecting, so please keep us in your prayers!

September already??

The month of August just BLEW BY! Actually...the entire year has just gone by in a flash...it feels like just yesterday we were putting away the Christmas decorations...now it is September, and I am feeling the Christmas spirit already starting (its that whole, change of the seasons, cooler weather thing).

So--to update a bit--

We went on vacation. It was an ok vacation...not GREAT! The weather kind of sucked and I just felt a lack of something there this year. I don't know what it was. When people asked me how it was, I say it was fine...but it was definitely too short. Patric and I are looking into getting our own place next year though, as I like my own space a little more now than I used to.

The rest of August was spent dealing with plumbing issues in our house and cutting down a tree...and my birthday! I am 26 now. I had always envisioned after having Josh that I would have another baby by 26...but here I am without another baby...but we are hopeful that when we try again the baby will be a healthy one. I am scared to try again though...

I have lost over 40 lbs now and can actually fit into a size 4! Never in my life have I fit into a size 4 and I certainly did not believe I would ever fit into one after having a kid! My hard work has definitely paid off...and I feel SO much better about myself.

I have had to work a lot outside of the home and leave Josh with my family or friends to watch. It has been tough to do so, but if our plans work out the way we want, Patric will be able to quit his job next year and we can run the business together. I received my EA card in the mail last week...so I am officially an EA. From now on, I will be signing EVERYTHING Sasha C. Andersson, EA. Only kidding...but it does feel good to have that completed. Now I just need to focus on marketing myself more and not be afraid to talk to people about my business.

Here are some pictures of what is going on with us!

Patric bought this outfit for me for my birthday.
I took this picture the other day and I really liked it. I feel like I look HOT in this picture...and believe me, I have felt so low about myself for SO LONG!
Josh appreciates shoes..he does not care what type they are, he likes to put them on (or more like he likes to put on his daddy and mommy's shoes...not his own). I think he especially likes my boots because he kept going back for these...so I took a picture! This is his "I DID IT" pose...it is not the first time he has made this pose. Look at July's posting when we were working on the fence...
These are our second set of roses in this house. Patric bought me 4 rose bushes last year and they all died...so we took them back to Meadow's farms and got 2 (they give you 1/2 price of the item that dies...so we only got 2). I have cared for these roses all summer. I bought special rose food, watered them, picked off their bad leaves and admired them. They are doing MUCH BETTER than the roses last year. I hope that they will survive the winter!
Close up shot of Josh at the beach. He had a lot of fun with his cousins this year.
Anyone who knows Josh knows he LOVES Yo Gabba Gabba. I could not help but take a picture of him sleeping with two of his "friends" Toodee and Plex.
The kids playing in the sand at the beach.
The kids playing in the boat at the beach.
I actually used this photo for a scrap book page, so I played with the coloring a bit. It was a gloomy day on the beach...so the lighting was not great.
Josh and Sage playing. The cousins dug man holes that week...this was just one of them.

Til next time!