Happy Thanksgiving with the Anderson Family!

Here are some pictures we wanted to share from our Thanksgiving celebration with the Anderson side of the family!

Though it was Thanksgiving, we also celebrated 7 Birthdays! :)

6 out of 7 looking at the SAME camera really is a success!

I wanted to get a belly picture with 3 of our nephews, Garner, Anderson, and Caden

ATTEMPT #1ATTEMPT #2

and well...ATTEMPT #3

And one last fun one! Aunt Joy with Anderson

More pictures to come soon from Thanksgiving with the Moore side of the family! So stay tuned!

Oh boy!

Well, we can't help but laugh when we open up our baby boy's closet and it's half full already! You see...I'm a bargain shopper and over the last couple of years, if I have seen cute baby clothes (girl and boy) for a super cheap price, I have picked them up. I figured we would eventually use them or it's nice to always have gifts on hand. I have found some steals at TJ Maxx paying only a dollar for a few outfits! So, once we learned about our baby boy, I did inventory of my baby stash and surprisingly, most of it should fit our lil' guy! Also, we have received some clothing and other items as gifts already, too which has been super fun!

This past weekend we completed our baby registry which was really fun (a bit overwhelming, but fun)! During the process, Nate and I decided we would pick out a few outfits as it was our first time shopping together for our precious baby. I think you'll be able to tell what outfits Daddy picked out! :)

Daddy's picks! Of course, all 3 things have guitars on them!

GO BUCKS!!!

Mommy's picks!

We truly feel blessed this season. We have so much to be thankful for and most of all, we praise God for blessing us with this precious baby boy! Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Much love!

Joy, Nate, and Baby BOY

It's.....

Definitely a BOY!!! 3D Picture of Baby Boy Anderson

(I, personally think he already looks like Daddy!) Praying?

Oooo...I'm a sleepy boy!
Baby Boy's SpineProud Mom and Dad at the Dr. office

At home after appt.
My co-worker/friend, Nikki and I at work...
Nikki was so excited to find out about Baby Anderson...she painted her fingernails pink and blue! HALF-BAKED @ 20 WEEKS!!!

Well, today was a fun day we've long waited for! We had our 20 week ultrasound and found out we are having a precious lil' baby BOY! :) There was no doubt about what we saw! I had a gut feeling about a boy, but Nate was determined it was a girl. This means I get to pick out where we go for dinner tonight...that's always good for a pregnant woman! :) We are so thrilled and excited. He looks healthy and beautiful! Baby BOY Anderson is now half-baked and weighing in at 11 ounces!

After leaving the doctor office, we made some phone calls and sent out some text messages to let everyone know of our exciting news. I pulled into the driveway at work to find Nikki, my co-worker (who has also become one of my closest friends) waiting for me at the door. I told everyone in the office I would wear pink or blue today, so she was anxiously awaiting. What was so cute was, she had painted her fingernails pink and blue, as you can see in the pictures above. It's so fun to know others are so excited right along with Nate and I!

That's our day in a nutshell! It's dinner time now, so I'm signing off! Enjoy the pictures and stay tuned for more!

We love you all!

Blessings,

Joy, Nate, and Baby BOY Anderson!

Aawww...the sound of a beating heart

Well, I sure have grown a new love for the sound of a beating heart. Today we had another OB appointment. The most exciting part is just hearing the baby's heartbeat. It's so real and reassuring. Today it was at 154 beats per minute which is exactly what it was on October 20th.

We're down to one week of finding out if Baby Anderson is a boy or a girl! Of course, we've looked into all the silly, fun things that "predict" the gender. The old wives tale about the heart rate (anything 140 and below=boy and anything over 140=girl, which would imply a girl), the Chinese Baby Gender Chart (different websites have said a boy and a girl), and tonight we're going to experiment with the ring on the string (if my wedding ring moves in circles it's suppose to mean a boy and side to side, a girl). Yeah...nothing very accurate but something fun to play around with. I think now that time is dwindling down to our 20 week ultrasound, I'm getting more and more anxious to find out the gender! So, now I'm back on the bandwagon of doing all of these silly things.

Well, it's past dinnertime and we've yet to have eaten. Nate and I ended up chatting for quite awhile after work and never got around to dinner. So, of course we opted for something quick and easy which means processed chicken patties. Sadly, it doesn't sound too bad to a pregnant lady who hasn't eaten since lunch! :) At least we'll throw in some fresh veggies and fruit to balance out the processed part!

Hillary's Baby Shower and Bailey's Expedition

Hello everyone! Just wanted to share some pictures from today. My friend, Hillary had a baby shower today. We met in college through a mutual friend, then worked together at a coffee shop, and also were roommates for awhile. She now lives in Florida, but came for a COLD (sorry, Hillary!) Ohio visit. It's been so fun communicating via email and our blogs, sharing all of our pregnancy ups and downs with each other. I certainly feel blessed to be sharing this with her.

Due April 7th and January 12th

Baby Anderson and Baby Magnolia (Maggie for short) Hillary's gift to me...a cute duck toy and a soft blanket Also, when I got home from the shower, Nate informed me that Bailey had an incident. She chewed up one of my books which happens to be a favorite book of mine right now. I'm guessing maybe she's learned to read and is now figuring out there is another baby in the future next to her?! Though I'm disappointed and thankfully I have another copy of this book, I couldn't help but laugh at these pictures. What a treat this dog is!

Look closely, she has her eyes shut and her tongue out...just like a little kid!

(You can click on the picture to enlarge it to get the full effect)

Being ornery as we're trying to get her picture with the evidence...

Out of control Beagle!

OK! I did it! (Again, click on the picture to enlarge it and you can see her eyes bugging out)

Exciting!

I'm thrilled to be sharing that two nights ago (Monday, November 3rd) Nathan (aka Daddy) got to feel Baby Anderson move for the first time (17 weeks and 7 days pregnant)! :) Over the last few days I've felt the baby move more. It's caught me off guard a few times as I've only felt the baby move as I've layed down to rest/sleep at nighttime. Now, as the baby is growing, I've felt it move while sitting and standing, too. So, Monday night once we crawled into bed, I told Nathan I was waiting to feel the it (I'll be so glad when it 2 weeks I can say baby girl or baby boy instead of "it") move. It wasn't but a short time after I said that, I felt it. So, Nate layed his hands on my belly and YAY! HE FELT OUR BABY MOVE FOR THE FIRST TIME! I've been waiting to share this with him for a few weeks now and we were both excited it came sooner than we thought. After a busy, draining few days with the passing of my grandmother, it was a perfect way to end those few days.


It's hard to believe we are 4 1/2 months along! According to my pregnancy email updates, our baby is approximately 6 inches long and weighs around 5 to 8 ounces. I have also learned this week our baby is mastering the art of yawning. Other skills the baby is showing off are swallowing, sucking, hiccuping, making faces, and of course, kicking, twisting, rolling, and punching.


I also wanted to include a few pictures from our weekend at my parents home. Though under the circumstance of my grandmother passing away, it was nice to be with my whole family and get some new snapshots of us all together. We certainly had some fun, memorable times, didn't we Mandy and Kara?! :)

Daddy and Mommy Anderson

Mom, Me, Kara, Mandy, and Dad

Me (the youngest), Kara (the middle), and Mandy (the oldest)

Manny, Alex, and Mandy

Alex and Mandy

Scott and Kara with Estella, Landon, and Emma

Estella, Landon, Alex, and Emma

Our nieces and nephews, again (I just had to include this because Alex is priceless in this picture!)

Much love!

Joy & Baby

Pumpkin Belly

I have several things to share, but am running low on time right now. However, I wanted to share my pumpkin belly that my nephew, Landon (age 8) and niece, Emma (age 6) created! :) We have been at my parents home the last few days due to the passing of my grandmother and after a long day, I couldn't think of a better way to end my day than this!