APPROVED Again!!!

We FINALLY got approval from both the 1st and the 2nd and our loan is being Funded as we speak!!!! It will record tomorrow morning and we will be homeowners tomorrow. I CAN NOT believe we have finally made it this far! We have given the owners 3 days to get out so we will take possession of our home on Sunday at 5 PM. Hooray!!!!!!! Yippy!!!!!!!!Hooray!!!!!!!!!! Yippy!!!!!!!!!!!!

Christmas 2009

This Christmas has by far been one of those Christmases that just doesn't feel like Christmas. The Anderson/Garthe home has been so chaotic, with moving, not moving, working like crazy, and just not feeling much like diving into Christmas. But we managed to have a pretty good Christmas despite our lack of Christmas spirit.We spent Christmas even morning at my Sister-n-law's work party. It was nice they had lunch and Santa for all the employee's families. Anna invited us all to go and we had a nice time. The kids got to sit with Santa and he gave them each a $10 gift card to Target. Pretty sweet deal! That afternoon we went to Claim Jumper with my family for dinner. My mom was sick with the stomach flu so she stayed home but the rest of us enjoyed some yummy dinner. Then we went back home and did our semi-traditional Christmas program. We each prepared a message or song to share. It was nice. Then my little family headed to the Garthe/Burke home to open our Christmas Eve gifts. (Pajamas!) And to see Anna and Bobby open their gift. This year all the adult couples drew names. We drew Anna and Bobby and Bobby was going to be with his family for Christmas so this was the only time we would see him. Since I made their gift, at least part of it, I wanted to see them open it. I was really nervous about them. You never know how someone will react to a homemade gift. To my surprise they both LOVED them!!!! They are huge Football fans. Bobby especially LOVES the Chargers. So I made them each a Charges Apron. (Both Anna and Bobby really enjoy cooking.) Anna's apron was more girly with a cute ruffle skirt and more curvy. And Bobby's was more masculine and straight. We also gave them a Pazookie pan set. Which is the best if you love Pazookies. I am so glad that they enjoyed their gifts.

(Sorry the photo is blurry. But you can see the aprons that I made for Anna & Bobby.)

Then we headed back home to put the kids to bed. They both konked out on the way home. Which is very unusual for Madison, but she didn't have much of a nap.




A few weeks before Christmas the primary had a Christmas activity and gave each child a bag of glitter and oatmeal to sprinkle on the lawn. A note was attached to the bag telling the children that the glitter will glisten so Santa will know to come to your home and the reindeer will smell the oatmeal. Charles asked me almost every night if it was time to put the special stuff on the lawn. And of course when it came time to actually do it he had fallen asleep in the car on the way home from Grandmas. As I was changing him into his jammies (he was still TOTALLY asleep) then all of a sudden he sits up and says Mom we have to put the stuff on the grass so Santa and the Reindeer's can find our house. I told him I would do it and had to take a picture to prove it. John thought I was crazy for doing it, but my little boy had been wanting it done for a very long time and I couldn't let him down.

Christmas morning was nice. The kids aren't at the I can't sleep because I'm too excited stage which is great for us. When Charles woke up I had to remind him that it was Christmas. He was very excited. (Grandma & Grandpa stayed in bed and let us have our own little Christmas as a family.) Daddy went down stairs to see if Santa came and to light the fire. In our house Santa fills the stockings and brings one gift and he leaves it unwrapped. All the other gifts under the tree are from mommy and daddy and those ones are wrapped. This year Santa brought all of us Disneyland passes. We were SO EXCITED!!!! The kids got some good gifts from mommy and daddy and had a great time opening them. Then we had breakfast with my family and then opened presents from each other after that.





It was a year for making aprons; I made Charles and Madison each one and Aunt Goo too!

Mid afternoon we went to the Garthe/Burke home to to Christmas with them. The kids did pretty good. It's hard with some many people trying to remember who gave you or your family what. But we are thankful for all the great gifts we got. Then we hung out and had dinner. It was a great day!

More Waiting

Last week we were told that we would know today if we will get to proceed with purchasing our home or if we need to start looking for a new house. As of a few minutes ago we were told that we will know tomorrow at 1PM if the banks have successfully come to an agreement regarding the short sale. So now we have to wait another agonizing 21 hours before we will know if we can have our dream home or if we have to start looking at houses ALL OVER again! This is crazy!!!! Please keep us in your prayers...we need them all! I'm not sure if I have it in me to start looking at house ALL over again.

Mad's Party

I am really late on posting about Mad's party, but the years not over so it's not too late. We celebrated Madison's 2nd Birthday on Dec. 6th at Grandma Garthe's house. I decided not to do anything too elaborate since I don't feel much like planning these days. We just did a simple dinner and had cupcakes and ice cream. Since I didn't do much or anything for that matter by way of theme or decorating I decided to make her a shirt and matching party hat. And I did make some Rainbow cupcakes that were very yummy. They didn't look nearly as pretty as I wanted them too, but that is usually what happens when I experiment with a new recipe. Maybe I'll master the art of homemade frosting before she's 12.
It was nice having the Garthe and the Anderson's together. Madison got some great presents and had a great time. Next year I'll have to have a more elaborate party.

The results are IN

For those of you that don't know 4 of my dad's 5 sisters have had breast cancer. And they all have tested positive for the BRCA2 gene mutation. Meaning that they genetically have a much higher risk of getting breast and ovarian cancer due to the gene mutation. And children of people who carry the gene have a 50% chance of also getting the gene. My dad may or may not be a carrier he has not yet been tested. Two of them were diagnosed with breast cancer around the age I am now. So I talked to my OB a few months ago about my history and he suggested having the gene testing done and said that my insurance would pay for it. Hooray! So a few weeks ago I met with a genetic counselor and had my blood work done. I was supposed to go in for a follow-up appointment and to get my results yesterday but I came down with the flu. Not fun! So I had to miss my appointment. But the Doctor called me today to give me my results since we will be changing insurance come January 1st. So the results are...................................... NEGATIVE!!!! Hooray!!! This means I do NOT have an increases risk of developing breast and/or ovarian cancer and that I fall back in the same risk category as the rest of the population of women who do not have a gene mutation. Hooray!!! Finally some good news!!!
Now I just need my Realtor to call and tell me that the 1st and 2nd have come to an agreement and we can close this month and move into our house!

Our Crazy Life

The past two months have been very crazy for us. The roller coaster of emotions we have had for our house have caused the most craziness. For those of you who I haven't melted down to, we still are NOT in our house. And may NOT be this YEAR. Yup that's right, this year NO house! We have been in escrow now for about 70 days. About 10 days before we were scheduled to close escrow the note on the house was sold to a new bank. Yes you heard that right. The house has a 1st and a 2nd loan. And they were both with the same bank so when we opened escrow we had the Short Sale approved with the bank. Great! Then the bank sold the 1st loan to a new bank. On November 1st we had to start the approval process ALL over again. It took a few weeks for the new bank to get all the information and assign a negotiator to the loan. Once the negotiator was assigned we got approval from the 1st within a few days. It was great! Mission accomplished. Well since the 1st and 2nd were originally approved together as one, when the 1st was sold we had to get approval for the 2nd again, even though it was still with the same bank. So the original bank that owns the 2nd had to assign a new negotiator to the loan. This took several more weeks just to assign a negotiator. Thanksgiving came and went. Finally about a week and a half ago the 2nd was assigned to a new negotiator. Awesome! They told us we would have the approval by Dec. 16th. Hooray, we could close and be in our home for Christmas! Then on Monday we found out that the 2nd does not like what the 1st is giving them. BUMMER!!!! Depression hits once again! The 2nd has requested permission to negotiate with the 1st so they can have more money from the sale. Yes very crazy!!!! (Even though the 2nd who is the original bank that owned both loans probably made money when they sold the 1st to the new bank, so why do they deserve more!) So now we are PRAYING that the 1st and 2nd will play nice together and will quickly come to an agreement. When I heard the news I was devastated and sad and wanted to be angry. But I didn't feel angry very long, for I know that we have come this far and been through so much and have been comforted and strengthened by Heavenly Father the whole way. With out him I know I COULD NOT have made it this far. We have struggled so much to buy a home. But I know that there is a plan and we will soon be in our very own home. But in the mean time prayers have been the only thing keeping me sane.

And as if Life is Not CRAZY enough yesterday when I was babysit a friends kids my PARKED car was HIT. Some girl swerved to miss a CAT and ran into my poor car. Now my car is not drivable because she hit the back fender and popped the tire and twisted the axle. It has the spare on it, but it sits funny and rubs when you drive it. So now I am trying to get a rental car and get my car into the shop so that I can get a few things done that I need to. The funny thing is, my dad taught us when we were learning to drive to NEVER swerve for an animal. He said always try to slow down if you can, but it is better to plow it over then to swerve and hurt yourself, another driver, or another car. I guess she never got the same less. Poor girl!
My POOR car!

But amidst all the chaos we are trying to have a normal Christmas. We have had fun with family seeing Christmas lights, making ginger bread houses, caroling with the primary, been baking a little, having FHE lessons about Jesus, and watching some Christmas movies. Hopefully next year we will be able to do a more normal Christmas and start some new traditions that I planned on doing this year but just didn't work out. I can't believe Christmas is just around the corner.