Final Catch Up Post

After this update I can cross "Post on Blog" off my To Do list! I have been figuring out how to fit everything in with two kids. Some days I feel like I am making progress and others I am sure I will never be productive again. Whenever I say that my mom reminds me that my kids are happy and well fed and that is a feat in and of itself, the rest will be there tomorrow.

Our warm days are numbered here and so I am trying to get out with the boys as much as possible before the house arrest of winter sets in. This week we took them to the zoo. Luke liked it more than ever and Noah behaved himself very well.


Luke is adjusting to having a brother around and is even starting to like him.


He has been loving the extra daddy time that he has been getting. Ryan has been such a big help I don't know what I would do without him. 4-wheeler rides, movies, games of hide and seek, stargazing... you name it and they will do it together. He is turning into quite the daddy's boy.

Unfortunately, when Ryan has to work and I am trying to feed and take care of Noah we have turned to the movie "Cars" It is Luke's favorite. He can't get enough of it. As you can see...


All in all we are loving having Noah in our family. Like Ryan said when he first came home, our family feels that more complete. He has been a good baby and is growing fast. Before we know it both of the boys will be running around wreaking havoc in our home.

Twin Cousins

So 5 days after Dad graduated, I went into labor and had Noah. We were calling home to talk to my parents and when my dad answered he told us that Roxanne had gone into labor and their baby probably would be born that night! We were so excited. Roxanne wasn't due until the 5th of September but Little Josh decided that he didn't want to wait. Joshua Willard Benson was born also on the 19th of August. He was a bit smaller than Noah but every bit as cute. So to add to my belated congratulations to Dad here is one to Josh, Roxanne and little Josh.

We are sure they are going to be the best of cousins... even if they aren't convinced of that yet. They came up to Idaho so the boys could meet and for Grandma's 90th birthday. We tried to get a good picture of the two of them but this is the best we got... feeding time for Noah. I am sure there will be plenty more pictures to come.

Belated Congratulations to Papa Bear

I have been meaning to post for awhile but just haven't done it... so much to catch up on the pressure gets overwhelming. But I really have wanted to congratulate my Dad. He graduated in August from BYU with his MBA. (Here he is with Madison, Angie's baby. I didn't have any other picture of him with cap and gown)


He went back to school to get his masters, something he has wanted to do for 30 years. Trying to raise and provide for 11 kids made it impossible for many years. Finally a couple of years ago he decided it was time and went for it. I am so proud of him for chasing his dreams and not giving up on what he wanted. He is an inspiration that it is never to late to achieve those life-time goals you have set for yourself.

To celebrate we managed to get all 11 children, 7 spouses and 6 grandchildren to his graduation. This was a big feat for our family coming from all over. It was so fun to have everyone home and around for a couple of days before families started splitting off to their respective homes, and new adventures across the country and oceans. Here we all are!


And here are the 5 pregos in order of closest due date... if it isn't obvious by my bulging belly.

Noah Aaron Rasmussen

We welcomed Noah into our family on August 19, 2009 at 5:58 pm. (He couldn't get here soon enough as far as I was concerned!) He was 7 lbs 6 oz and 21.5 inches long. The best part is that he is completely healthy and we were able to take him home the next day. A new experience for us... I would recommend it. Here are some photos of the little one.

This is right after the nursery was done with him in the hospital.

Snoozing today at home in the bouncer. (His feet are not really that big, I promise)

One of those rare moments when he was wide awake.

Summer Fun

Here are a couple of things that we have been up to this summer. (With our camera on the fritz our pictures are few and far between)

Hanging out with cousins: Luke and Olivia chilling with Ryan

We were lucky to get this one shot of the both of them not moving neither one looks thrilled with the situation but they are getting to be better friends all the time. It is really good practice for Luke to have another baby around. With more cousins on the way (Congrats Roxanne, Deb, Em and Liz) these pictures should be popping up more and more.



Emily and Levi were in town to play and so one of our outings was to the mountains to do some 4-wheeling. Pete, Heidi and Olivia joined us. The first ride was a scenic one down by the river that Moms and babies went on. Then the serious riding began while Heidi, Olivia, Luke and I cooked dinner. This was as close to camping that we have been with Luke. He loved the campsite and loved the dirt even more.

He would push the truck around from rocks to dirt to rocks and so forth. Dirty as ever but happy as could be. We tried out the sunscreen mohawk and both decided we like him better without the rebel look. But... why is it no gel will hold his hair in place for church but sunscreen will stick it straight up for hours on end?

Feeding the Dog

Why is this such a big deal? Luke has finally realized that dog food is for the "goggie" and not for him to eat. All he has to do is ask and I will give him much better tasting stuff. This is a milestone for us. No more juggling Biscuit feedings with Luke on the loose time.

We have been lucky to have lots of friends and family come and pay us a visit this summer and are looking forward to more this weekend and even more in August. We are hoping to juggle the delivery of baby #2 around my dad's graduation, visits from family and a work schedule. But mostly just hoping the little guy comes soon.

Guess who's back..

To steal from the great American poet Eminem,

Guess who's back, back again... Ryan's back...tell a friend..


I have decided to return to the world of blogging. My hiatus can be attributed to a couple things. #1 as much as I love to blog, we all know those little dots in the map are 99.9% Annalyns friends. I like you all very much (accept for whoever visits from Thailand and has me scared they are stealing pictures of Lukey for their diabolical endevors. WHO ARE YOU?!?) But you come to see what Annalyn is up to, not to here me ramble on about how awesome Teen Wolf is. (Awesome x 23 quadrillion) and #2 simply writers block. The only time I sit down to write letters are to travel agencies to complain about these things... They are working on it.

P.S. I typed number 2.

I did get the opportunity to travel to SLC by myself this last week and downloaded Michael Jackson music for the trip. Am I the only one who has gone from thinking that Michael Jackson was awesome, to Michael Jackson is a pervert, to Michael Jackson might not have been a pervert after all? Martin Bashir, I blame you.

Don't read too much in to my waffling opinion, I also think that we never landed on the moon.


And lastly, our iphones have replaced cameras around our house. So the 12 megapixel (not quite a QUADRILLION) camera gathers dust, we have grainy pictures of the cutest boy in the world.

As the french guy who worked at Lowes in the lawn and garden quoted Mark Twain to me when he asked if Luke was mine...

Motherhood is a certainty, Fatherhood is a rumor.

My Arch-nemesis

I heard the word nemesis the other day and while working in my garden I realized that I have an arch-nemesis. THE THISTLE.


While this weed may look harmless it is the prickliest, worst weed ever. The spot where my garden is used to be pasture grass... there is still a lot of grass in the garden, some days I don't know whether to weed or mow the garden... anyhow when I killed(thinned out) the pasture grass to make room for my plants, the thistle decided it was time to move in.

I wear gloves and the stickers poke right through and get you. I have been poked so many times that I am becoming overly bitter and have reached the point of declaring the thistle my arch-nemesis. I even want to kill the random ones on the side of the road so they don't spread to my yard. The only good thistle is a dead one.

(this is the pile of dead weeds out of my garden) Hopefully the rest of the garden will survive the summer. It has all grown a lot more since the heat has come but then Biscuit likes to "mark" my tomato plants. One is dead...
I can't blame it and the other shows signs of wishing it was dead. See the brown leaves at the bottom?


Other than gardening we have had a fun week. We had Grandma Rhonda visit after all the Bensons were here for the 4th and Olivia's blessing. We recruited everyone and had them be in the Idaho Falls Parade with our old car and some residents.

I am not sure how much they enjoyed it but we sure had fun with them. We wish they could come up more often. As they were leaving Ryan's mom pulled in for a little visit. We sure enjoy her company. We went to the zoo with her and Grandma Benson.

I didn't have a picture of Grandma Rhonda and Luke but she was there and helped juggle the diaper bag, stroller, wheelchair and baby. We were sad to see her go.