Precious Moments

Since baby T has joined our family, we have had many precious moments. Some I have been able to capture with my camera and some are forever engraved in my memory and on my heart. I could take many pictures from past posts and re-post them because they are all such priceless, precious moments. But, for this post, I'm going to post some recent precious moments.

Since T has been born, we have had many special visits from family and friends who we don't see often. It has been a blessing to spend some special time with some of these special people. Here are a few pictures from some of those visits.

Aunt Mary Carol made a special trip to meet T and spent some time with us for the day. We had a great time visiting with her and catching up with her. She is a very special sister and aunt. Anna Grace loves aunt Mary Carol SO much!



and we can tell T already loves Aunt Mary Carol too!


AG loves it when T gets in bed with her at night!


She wishes he could spend the night with her...one day he will be big enough to join her, but she may not want him to then!


Sage and Wes came to town for Wes's fall break. We had a great week and enjoyed spending some time with them. We can already tell that Lalla and T have a sweet and special friendship!

T was STARVED, but we tried to get a few quick pictures while both babies appeared content...until we got the camera out, and T was mad!


and madder...


and Lalla joined in!


So, we took a break and I fed T...a different baby was born!


Super T!! T has many hand poses....this is Super T!
Sweet Lalla looks impressed at T's moves!


AG and sweet Walker...or Walkie Talkie as we like to call him!
He is such a sweet, sweet, busy little boy and I love spending time with him!! He says the most precious, funny things...and looks just like my dad!
While they were in town, the boys were playing outside in our backyard and toys were everywhere. Sage told the boys that it was time to clean them up. Of course neither wanted to hear that. Wyatt moped around and asked Sage to help clean up the toys to which she replied kindly, "No sir, you can clean them up with your brother." So Wyatt continued to pout and pick up toys. Walker sat down and said proudly,"I watch, mommy, I watch Wyatt clean up." It was so funny!
Sage replied, "No, you will not watch your brother clean, you will help him."


Walker, Lalla, AG and T on the couch. Such a proud big brother and big sister!


Wyatt always looks so proud when he holds Lalla. Here he is holding Lalla while AG holds T.


I love the way Wyatt is looking at AG in this picture...it's like he's thinking...
"We are the BIG brother and sister!" So precious!!
Sweet T has his punching arms going!


and one last picture....such sweet, precious moments!! I hope they all will grow up to be special friends and love each other dearly!

Fall is in the air...

...which means it's time to go to the Pumpkin Patch and get a pumpkin!!

Last Saturday our family went to McLeod Farms with the Fredrick family. We had a great time going on a hayride, picking out pumpkins, eating ice cream, sweet treats and celebrating Fall!

Thomas is busy looking for the "perfect" pumpkin!


He takes this job very seriously every year. Looks like he found two good ones!


AG walks past the Fredricks to show us she found the perfect little pumpkin for herself.


We brought home 3 pumpkins!


Mommy and AG with the pumpkins


This is what Baby T did the whole time we searched for pumpkins


AG and Dylan still searching for small pumpkins


On the hayride


Eating ice cream in the McLeod Farms store


What a fun way to celebrate Fall!! I love this time of year when the air is a little cooler, pumpkins, leaves changing colors, leaves falling from the trees, the smell of burning leaves in the air, football....what a wonderful time of year!!

Thanks Fredrick family for a fun day at McLeod Farms!!

One more thing...

I also wanted to point out a special detail in AG's baptism story...

The week before the event, she was very anxious about being baptized. As the day approached she became nervous and didn't want to follow through with it. Thomas and I continually prayed for her, and AG was still nervous about it.

As I thought about how to calm my daughter's fears, I remembered the day we dedicated her at our church in Sumter. Our pastor, Pastor Clay, had written a letter for Anna Grace to read on the day she was saved. As I thought about the letter (which we hadn't read yet), I thought it surely would talk about following thru in obedience with baptism. So, I pulled the letter out of AG's memory box and told her to sit down with me, so we could read this special letter together.

Here is what it said...
December 5, 2004 (Kayne's 29th birthday)

Dear Anna Grace,

Today something very special happened in our church, Thomas and Kayne, your parents, brought you before the church family and made a promise to you to teach you about the things of God. The church family, in turn, made a promise to do all that they could do to help you grow in your personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Your parents made promises to be Christ-like as they parent you, to encourage you in your faith, and to bring you to church. The church made a promise that they would always be understanding of you and that they would do their very best to show you the love of God through Jesus Christ. They promised to teach you and to pray for you.

Today you are very young. You will not remember all of the special things that were said or the prayers that were offered. By the time you read this, however, you will already know that your parents love you very much. Many tomorrows will have become yesterdays and you now have made a very important decision for yourself. Even though Thomas and Kayne were the ones who brought you to be dedicated today, you and you alone were the one who made the decision to give your life to Jesus Christ. Now that you have accepted Christ as your Savior, the prayers that were said on your behalf on December 5, 2004, have been answered. The fact that you are reading this letter means that you've accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior and you're now going to follow Him the rest of your life, beginning with baptism.

Today was a very special day in your life, Anna Grace. Because of your decision you made to accept Jesus Christ, as your Lord and Savior, all of the tomorrows through eternity will be special to you. Our prayer as your church and my prayer as your minister is that God will lead you every day of your life.

God's Grace be with you,

W. Clay Smith
Pastor

It brings me to tears to read this. Such a sweet and special letter marking such a sweet and momentous occasion. After I finished reading the letter, AG replied, "OK, Mommy, I will be baptized." And of course, the rest of the story is in the next post with pictures of the baptism.

Such a sweet and special day that we will remember forever. We looked on the calendar for this year and December 5 is on a Sunday again...6 years later. We plan to have baby T dedicated on this special day too. Not only my 35th birthday, but the day Thomas and I will stand before God and the church, and pledge to raise T in a Christian home too. What a special day that will be!

Our Family on the day AG was dedicated at our church in Sumter. December 5, 2004
She was 7 months old.


My parents with AG on the day she was dedicated.


Thomas's family with AG on the day she was dedicated.

Special Weekend

We had a very special weekend!
It started out on Friday night when we had a surprise visit from some of our special friends from Virgina! Mary, Todd, Spencer and Brooks dropped by for a quick visit. They were having a family weekend in Columbia, but wanted to meet baby T! I'm so glad they stopped by and wish they could have stayed longer! Spencer and Anna Grace have known each other since birth. Mary and I lived in Sumter at the same time because Thomas and Todd worked together at Federal Mogul. Her friendship was and always will be a blessing to me! She came into my life at a time when I needed a friend. God has blessed me with her friendship and she will always be a gift to me!

Here is a picture of our kids together on Friday night.
AG is holding baby T and Spencer is holding his 22 month old baby brother, Brooks.



AG had her third soccer game on Saturday morning. AG is playing soccer this fall with our church's Upward Soccer program. AG is not a competitive player, but she is having fun on the field and we are grateful for that! She is learning a lot about the positions and has played offense, defense, midfield and goalie!

Here are a few pictures from the game.








Then we cheered for the Tigers as they played Miami in the Homecoming game. Thomas's parents came down to watch the game with us.

GO TIGERS!!



But, the most special thing that happened this weekend was Anna Grace's baptism!
Anna Grace proclaimed Jesus as her Lord and Savior and asked Him to forgive her for her sins last year around this time. She prayed one night last year with Thomas and me in the room with her. After she prayed, Thomas and I prayed for her.
Romans 10:9-10
"That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved."

Acts 16:30-31
'He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household."'

She wanted to be baptized immediately, but we wanted to wait and make sure she understood (to the best she could for a 6 year old) the decision she had made. So we continued to pray over her and talk to her about this decision over the course of the year. She hadn't mentioned baptism in a while, so we decided we would let her talk to our children's director to see if she was ready for baptism. The children's director talked to AG and told us she was ready. We were thrilled and so was AG! She couldn't wait to be baptized!

Acts 2:38-39
"Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call."

As the countdown began to the baptism, AG started to get nervous about going under the water. She asked us if she could wear her goggles, and we told her "No", that the baptism is too quick to wear goggles. She had many other questions about Pastor Bill dunking her under....would he keep her under too long? would he hold her nose? would he drop her? would it be scary? what about all of the people watching....could she do it? Thomas and I had many more talks with her about following God in obedience through baptism, showing the church this important change that has taken place in her heart, and we prayed for God to take away that spirit of fear many times. She was confidant and ready to go!

So, the BIG day came. Gram and Gramps came to town, and Nana and Big Pop came to town to watch this special occasion. On our way to church, AG asked me for a pen and paper, and I gave her one. She started to ask Thomas and me questions..."How do you spell the word careful?" and "How do you spell Pastor Bill?". Then she read us the note she had just written Pastor Bill. It said, "Please be careful, Pastor Bill." As we walked into church, we ran into a few friends and AG joyfully exclaimed, "I'm being baptized today!"
We met up with the other baptism candidates so they could review everything one more time. AG asked if she could give her note to Pastor Bill. Mrs. Paula took the note and told AG she would make sure Pastor Bill received it. All of the baptism candidates were excited, nervous and ready....
AG is in the middle....


Pastor Bill walked over to talk to everyone before it started. AG exclaimed, "It's Pastor Bill! Daddy, where is my note?" Pastor Bill heard AG and he said, "Here it is, sweetie, I've already read it. I promise I will be very careful."


The little girl before AG was being baptized and Mrs. Paula was calling AG to come on up. AG just sat in the chair and shook her head. Then she ran over to me and said, "Mommy! I have to use the potty!" I told her she was nervous and she could use the potty after she was baptized. So, she was up next.


Pastor Bill talked AG through it.


"Buried in Baptism and raised to walk in newness of life"


After church, we celebrated by going out to lunch! Then we took a few family pictures to remember the weekend!









We were so proud of AG!! What a special day! This is the day we had prayed for since the day we found out we were pregnant. This is the day we had prayed for since we stood up in front of our church in Sumter, and dedicated her to the Lord on December 5, 2004. This is the day we had hoped would come to pass when we stood before our church and our Lord and promised to raise AG in a Christian home. What a sweet day that will live in our hearts forever. Just as Jesus's baptism was the beginning of his ministry, this is just the beginning of AG's relationship with Jesus and her ministry! We can't wait to see what awesome things God has in store for her. We are honored and privileged to be a part of God's awesome plan over her life! We can't wait to continue to watch her grow in her relationship with God!

Matthew 28:19-20
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

He's Here!!!

Our long awaited miracle is HERE!!!
Sweet little Thomas Gregg Anderson, Junior ("T") made his debut into the world on Tuesday, August 31st at 10:50am weighing 6 lbs, 11 oz, 19.5" and looking just like his big sister and daddy!!! We knew he was OURS!!!

I was so overcome with emotion. I just cried and cried when I saw him! He was perfect and beautiful in every way!! My long awaited gift from God was finally here!! He was healthy, content, happy and oh so beautiful! And the best part - everything went so well!!

My due date was the day before - Monday, August 30th. I went into my doctor appointment not expecting much. The doctor checked me and there was no dilation, so she requested an ultrasound to make sure the baby was on track, my fluid wasn't low, and we could wait until I went into labor on my own or induce the following week. The ultrasound revealed that T was healthy and developing as he should (they estimated he weighed 6lbs, 11oz - exactly what he weighed!), but my fluid level was low. So Dr. Clary wanted me to go home, get things in order for AG, pack my bag, and check into the hospital that day around 5:00pm. They would give me a pill ay 6pm and again at 12pm to soften my cervix and start the induction in the morning at 6:00am.

My head was spinning and I was trying to figure out where to start. I texted Thomas to let him know, then called my mom. She left Greenville and started her way to Florence to help with AG. Dr. Clary had walked me down to start my admission into the hospital. Thomas called me back and said he'd leave work around 2. Finally I left the doctor's office at 12:30...excited and nervous! How long would this induction process take?!? Would I be in labor all day tomorrow?? Will this go fast?? I sent out a quick email to let friends know, so they could be praying for me.
I drove to get AG and let her know the baby was coming! I came back home and my mom drove up, Thomas came home, Sandy came over to let me borrow some pajamas for the hospital....time was passing so fast and I hadn't even packed my bag! I went over everything with my mom, packed my bag and Thomas and I ran to the car. As we backed out of the driveway, AG and my mom waved good bye and off we went.

We checked in and they had our room ready and started my IV immediately. Everything was going smoothly and moving along. They gave me the first pill to soften my cervix and came back to check on me. They let me know I was having some contractions on my own too and everything looked great...baby looked beautiful they said! Thomas and I realized we were hungry and hadn't eaten, so Thomas went to get us some Chic Fil A and get our bags out of the car. We enjoyed our dinner, facebooked and texted friends. I was told by the nurses to get a good night's sleep, but that's hard when I'm hooked up to two monitors, an IV, a blood pressure cuff, etc. all night long.

Enjoying Chic Fil A...


I did my best and got a few hours of sleep. By 5am, we were awake and ready! The nurse came in and told me I could shower, so I did. By 6am the pitocin was started. As it progressed, my contractions were getting stronger and T's heartbeat was dropping some. They didn't like that, so they stopped the pitocin to give him a rest. At 7:30am they checked me and I was around 3cm dilated. They continued to let me labor on my own and didn't start the pitocin again. At 8:30am, Dr. Clary came to my room and checked me. I was at 4cm and she broke my water. She told me to go ahead and get the epidural, so I did at 9:10am. My parents had arrived (after taking AG to school) and were in and out of the room talking with Thomas and me. Thomas's parents had left Greenville at 8am.

The epidural had taken on my right side, but I was still feeling intense contractions that were 2 minutes apart on my left side. They brought the doctor back in to give me a pain block to help with the left side pain. Around 10:15am, I felt extreme pressure and the urge to push. I told the nurse, so she checked me and I was fully dilated - 10cm in an hour!! Crazy!!! Thomas went to let my parents know I was about to start pushing. The nurses called Dr. Clary and everyone else to start setting up in the room. In about 10 minutes, the room was filled with about 20 people! Tech students, the nursery nurse and her scale, OR techs, nurses, Thomas was in the corner...and we were waiting on Dr. Clary. Dr. Clary arrived and I pushed about 4 times....and there he was....a breath of Heaven in Dr. Clary's arms. Just writing this brings me back to that same overwhelming emotion that I felt that day....it truely is a miracle to see a child born into this world. The child you have been feeling in your stomach for 9 months...is outside...and in front of you!! Simply a miracle!! God is SO good!!!





We are SO blessed!!! God has blessed us beyond measure!!! Wow!!! A daughter and a son! Does it get any better than this?!?
Ephesians 3:19-21
"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

And then to hold him...as he is crying!! And it is the most beautiful sound I have ever heard....pure joy! Does it get any better than this?!?


Proud Daddy holding T for the first time.


My dad (Big Pop) holding T for the first time.
I just LOVE this picture. I LOVE my dad's expression and I LOVE T's expression.


Everytime I look into my precious baby's eyes...I am reminded of how blessed I am and how good God is. He loves us so much!! We are blessed to serve such an amazing God!!




2 Corinthians 9:15
Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!