2011 Anderson Family Update

It is hard to believe that it is already the end of 2011. We’ve had a very eventful year inour family, so here are some little tidbits of information about us.

John started the year with a company called iBahn and 2 weeks before Tyce was born started a new job as the Controller at Clearlink (basically the head accounting guru). He loves his new job. He thrives on challenges and likes to look for ways to help companies move forward, so this has been a great move for him. He has enjoyed teaching his Sunday School class and will miss the kids he has been teaching, as he starts his new calling this week as the 2nd Counselor in the Sunday School Presidency. The teenagers love him and his ability to relate to (still act like) them!

Dana I am adjusting to my new role as a mother of 3. To be honest, this has been the easiest transition of any kid, for me. I have a different perspective this time around and I am just trying to enjoy each phase, knowing that shortly it will end and we will be in a new stage. I am still teaching Group Fitness classes for Life Time Fitness and The Gymbox and enjoy the friendships that I have made and continue to make as I work with wonderful people there. I am excited to be back to running and training for races and I am looking forward to the St. George Half Marathon in January and the Utah Valley Marathon on June, where I plan to qualify for the Boston Marathon and run it in 2013.

Hailee started 1st grade this year and she loves school. She has an incredible teacher named Mrs. Welcker and has made a lot of new friends. Hailee is an excellent student and loves telling us what she learned about that day. She is dancing with Empower Dance again and loves her new team, Aspire. She was dancer of the month in November because she practices every night and learned 2 dances, the team performed last year, in one week, so she could perform with them for Christmas. She also lost her two front bottom teeth, but can’t sing, “All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth” because they grew in before the others fell out. Hailee loves to craft and will try to make anything she can with paper, cotton balls, string, tape, scissors and tape. She completed her second triathlon this summer and did amazing. Her birthday is coming up - on Christmas Day she will be 7 years old.

Camryn started dancing with Empower Dance this year. She loves singing her dance songs to us and showing us her moves. She is the “super senior” of her nursery class. She is by far the oldest and smartest (I may be biased) because she has been in there for so long. She loves her nursery leaders and has to stop and talk to Sister Savage whenever we go for a walk, but she can’t wait to go to Primary. Cam and I have been doing our own preschool at home and she is a very smart girl and loves to do puzzles, write the ABC’s and numbers, do Play-do, and type to dad on instant messenger on the computer. She is daddy’s little helper and loves to be in the garage or out in the yard to “help” him put stuff together. In fact, she asked for “girl tools” for Christmas and she can’t wait for Santa to bring them so she can fix stuff with dad.

Tyce was born on July 31. He weighed 7 lb 15 oz and was 20 inches long. Since then, he has grown at an incredible rate. He is 4 ½ months old and now weighs over 18 pounds and is 26 inches long. It seems that by the time I wash an outfit, he has outgrown it. We made it through the first 3 months of colic and fared relatively well. Now he is just a happy, chubby boy. His newest “tricks” include, holding onto toys, smiling at anyone and everyone, giggling, and rolling over- he isn’t a fan of this one because he hates being on his tummy and hasn’t figured out how to roll back over yet (update: he just rolled from his tummy to his back). John and I have enjoyed watching the girls grow up as they lookout for each other and Tyce. Hailee loves to hold him and play with him. Cam loves to make him giggle.


We are very grateful for the many blessings that came to us this year and for the wonderful friends, family and neighbors who have helped us so much as our lives have changed.

Love, John, Dana, Hailee, Camryn and Tyce

We hope you have a Merry Christmas
and a Happy New Year!

Finding Out: Brother or Sister?

March 15th was a day our family had been looking forward to for a while. Hailee and Cam knew "mom had a baby in her tummy" and that she was more tired than usual. We left for the doctor's office about 9:15 for the 9:30 ultrasound and as we left, I took this video with my iphone:

Well, as you all know, we found out we are having a boy. Cam and Hailee were still excited even though they wanted a sister (because "girls are cute").

Here is the post-ultrasound interview.

The real news

As everyone probably knows (facebook broke the story in December), we are having another monster come into the family in late July. Dana has been feeling relatively well for being pregnant. Little bouts of nausea and tired spells are all that she has dealt with so far. Cam made Dana pretty sick and so did Hailee, so maybe this one is a little different, like maybe a boy? (insert wishful thinking comment here)

So far, we have come up with names for both sexes . . . so you get to choose your fav as we narrow down the list:

GIRL NAMES (listed first because, well, we have a track record)
Tatum
Kalia (the street we stayed on in Hawaii)
Jordan
Brynn
Emery

BOY NAMES
Tyce
William
Brett
David
John
Landon
Parker
Blake
Brendan
Kyle
Ty
Jimmer (Gotta slip that one in)
Connor

New Addition to the Family!

Yes, we got a new addition to the family this last weekend. A toddler toilet.



The girls were pretty excited after we picked it up from someone on KSL.com for $20. After finishing up the baseboards, the bathroom is finally fully functional. All we need to do now is restain the vanity and put in solid surface countertops.

The Journey

Back in Febuary I got an itch to run a marathon. I had several friends who had recently run one and they talked me into it. They filled me head with the highs and lows of running a marathon and how amazing it felt to cross that finish line after running 26.2 miles. Back then, I was really excited about the idea.

This is my friend Debbie. I took on this challenge because of her.


When I committed to this (I actually paid money to run that far) I had never run further than 13.1 miles in a single session. My thought was, "I have already run half that distance, with a little training and motivation adding another 13.1 shouldn't be too difficult." Um, I was wrong. I realized after my first 18 mile run that mentally I was not strong enough to complete a marathon. I had some serious soul searching take place for about a week as to whether or not I could actually accomplish this goal. Two things kept me going, I already spent the money and I had told people that I was going to do it. What I am trying to say is this, my pride kept me in this for the long haul!

Let me remind you, I love to run. I love to race. I love the thrill of passing people and the challenge to catch people after they pass me. The problem I found with training for a marathon is that it isn't a race, at least for me this first time, I had to learn to pace myself.

I ran my first 20 miler the end of July and the last 5 miles were torture. Mentally, I was still not ready. I kept questioning my intent. I kept questioning my body. I was hot, I was tired, I was done around mile 17. But, I ran. I ran up a hill and back down it. I added on an extra loop because I was 1/2 a mile short, and I hated every minute of it. But, I did it. I finished. I reached another goal and I knew I only had one more long run in my way before race day.

A couple weeks later I ran my fastest half marathon. The thrill of racing those first 6 miles was incredible! I didn't know my feet could move that fast. I didn't know my lungs and heart were that effecient. The last 7 miles I paid for the extra speed at the beginning. At mile 10 I had a moment where I wanted to throw in the towel and give up. But, I finished. I did well. My body proved to my mind, yet again, that it was strong enough to do hard things.

Me and Anika at Hobble Creek in our homemade TieDye tanks!


Last weekend I ran 22 miles. I ran non-stop for 3 hours. No water breaks (I carried my water), no bathroom breaks, not even a stop light broke up this run. I didn't hate any of it. It was definitely a challenge. Physically I was spent before I was spent mentally, that hasn't happened to me before. This time it was my mind, and my iPod, that kept me going the last couple of miles. When I hit mile 22 I honestly thought that I could keep going for another 4.2 miles. That was an awesome feeling. Did I want to run for another 32 minutes, NO, but the confidence that I could, felt really good.

So, here I am, 2 weeks away from my marathon. The taper period. I will cut back my mileage from 40 miles per week to 24 miles, to 16 miles and then to 10 miles and then I'll run the longest distance of my life, 26.2 miles. And you better believe I will have a sticker proudly displayed in my car window after I finish. Wish me luck!

The Little Monsters

For those of you who don't live close by, this is what our girls look like now. Yeah, it has been a while since we posted pics of them.

John, Hailee, and Cam playing miniature golf at Boondocks.

Hailee can do the splits, this is her "good" leg. And yes, Cam now has hair!

Cam got into Hailee's "craft" cupboard.

Cam's first time at Hogle Zoo. She loved it, Hailee loved it, but their favorite part was definitely the ice cream cones.

One of the many faces of Cam.

Movin' on Down . . .!?! Losing it.

John (reality TV show interview cut-away): After I left Omniture, I worked for a small startup company that had me working long hours with barely any time for myself. They also had a snack room with tasty treats that I loved such as hot tomales, Reese's Pieces, Red Vines, and more. Consequently, I put on 5-7 extra pounds in a short 3 month period.

Meet Fat John. Fat John was tired, cranky (ask Dana), out of shape, and unhappy. He was the heaviest he had ever been . . . ever! 190.6 lbs to be exact.



In April, Fat John decided to make a change for a job with a little more stability and a better work/life balance. Along with employment at iBAHN, he was given a free membership to Dana's gym - Lifetime Fitness. It was the first day on the job at iBAHN, April 19th, that Fat John decided that his "shape" was a little out of whack and decided to set a goal to get to his pre-marriage, pre-mission weight - 172.

18+ pounds was not a ton to lose, but he wanted to make it a lifestyle change. It was convenient that Fat John's wife is a group fitness instructor and had many tips to help him in the process. She told him that if he lost it through exercise and watching his caloric intake, that he would be successful.

John (reality TV show interview cut-away): "When I was in the Philippines, I remember my mission president, President Evans, telling me that I could do anything I wanted and make something a habit if I put my mind to it and to stick with it for 21 days. After 21 days, he said, the task would become second nature and a habit. I took that advice to heart and decided to hit the gym for 5-6 times per week."

Starting out, it was difficult for Fat John to maintain any exercise for 45 straight minutes. Fat John got bored, sore, tired, lazy, etc during the first 21 days. He had shin splints, a hamstring and calves that were always tight, thoughts of quitting ran through his head daily. He wondered if he would ever make his goal. A goal! Fat John knew that if he were to have a goal, that he would need to have a reward. He always wanted a PS3 with NCAA Football to play (to also use for Blue Ray disks on his 47" Sony LCD). That, he decided would be the reward for meeting the goal.

Here was his game plan:

1. Exercise 5-6 times per week. Starting out with easier exercises - eliptical machine, lifting weights, slower treadmill jogging (9:00+ minute miles). These would later build up to more difficult exercises (running sub 8:00 minute miles, heavier lifting, and riding his road bike).

2. Healthier eating: smaller portions, 5-6 times per day. Breakfast? Oatmeal. PACK A LUNCH. Dinner - smaller portions (use smaller plates and slow down, stopping before you think you are full). Drink a lot of water.

Look for ways to cut calories:

(a) Sugar-free syrup on whole wheat pancakes (instead of sugary syrup on regular pancakes). Trust me, the syrup tastes good.

(b) Sugar free popsicles in the evening when feeling "snacky".

(c) Protein shakes right after a workout. They don't taste like a frosty, but get over it. They taste a lot better with ice.

(d) Almond butter: a good source of protein and healthier than peanut butter. Goes great with sugar free jam, regular jam (berry of course), or bananas.

(e) Oatmeal for breakfast: 1 packet of low sugar oatmeal mixed 50-50 with plain oatmeal. Healthy filler with a good taste. Don't make it too thick - it's like eating paste.

(f) Whole wheat bread, pasta, etc. It tastes better. Avoid bleached, enriched flour at all costs.

(g) NO SODA / POP / WHATEVER YOU CALL IT: not even diet . . . and for heaven sakes no sugared soda. Cheat every once in a while, but drink cold water when thirsty.

(h) During the day, snack on fruit, carrots, granola bars (healthy types).

(i) Eating out: Make a healthier choice, share, eat rabbit food (lettuce) and taste the more unhealthy choice made by your spouse (thanks Dana). Don't eat the whole meal if it is HUGE. Take the rest home.


3. Tracking towards the goal: weigh in every 5-7 days (not daily) at the same time of day. Mornings will be lighter and afternoons will be heavier. Daily fluctuations do not matter. Even small weekly gains are OK as long as the trend over 2-3 weeks is still downward. Keep track of the weigh ins and only report if the weight is down from the prior weigh in. Log weights in a spreadsheet and show progress on a chart in Microsoft Excel(Fat John . . . ok, John {fat or skinny} is a nerd).

4. Reporting: when progress is made, tell someone. Tell Dana, a co worker, mom, siblings when you hit certain milestones. Celebrate in the moment, then look forward to the next milestone by working even harder the next workout.

5. Have smaller goals along the way:
(a) Run a 5K, 10K (I wanted to run the freedom festival 5K 2+ minutes faster). I ended up running it 3.5 minutes faster.
(b) when your workouts become more difficult, and you are able to handle it, treat it as an accomplishment (i.e. running 3.2 miles at a 7:00 minute pace - great job self!).

6. Allow yourself to cheat a little: don't worry if you have to miss a day of exercise. Be flexible. Go out for ice cream, a treat, etc, but remember to eat a smaller portion.

Here is how the journey went (graphically):



Notice how there were plateaus - at those times I had to pick up the pace or change to a different exercise.

On Tuesday, August 11th, 2010, Fat John hibernated (and will hopefully never come back) and "goal reached" John finally emerged. 190.6 to 172 happened. It was very difficult. It took me nearly 4 months. It was not easy for me. There was no miracle, no pill, no secret diet, no HCG shots . . . only sweat, blisters, chaffing (TMI, I know), disappointment, perserverance, and victory!

In the mean time, I learned a lot and hope anyone reading that wants to lose a few or a lot more can use what I learned to get started. I found out a lot about myself and my limits.

The journey is not over. I think 172 is a good base, but now I want to continue to reduce my body fat percentage and get stronger, more flexible, and have some 6-pack abs for once in my life.



PS - I just went 10-2 in my first season with BYU on my PS3 . . .