The Anderson Family

Picture Perfect

2008-12-11T20:14:00.001-08:00

I love this picture. It was taken by the lady who comes and does our preschool pictures. She does a great job.

Happy Halloween

2008-12-08T14:38:00.000-08:00

I had my very own littler of kittens for Halloween! Costumes were so easy this way!

Birthday Fun

2008-12-08T14:25:00.000-08:00

I know it has been a little overdue (all right a lot overdue) but here are some pictures of Cayden and Carsyn's birthday party. Mom is cheap (actually parties are expensive) so we split a party between the two of them. It actually turned out very nice. We went to an indoor inflatable place where they pretty much do the party for you. Of course you have to write the check when it is all said and done! It was worth it. Everyone had a great time.

Columbia

2008-09-26T14:43:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to Columbia to spend the weekend with Reesha and Brandon. Mizzou had a home game Saturday so Brandon and J spent the afternoon there while Reesha and I took the kids to lunch and then to the park. It was a great day to be outside and the park was awesome.

The vote was unanimous! Favorite thing at the park - the giant tires!

Random Stuff

2008-09-26T14:37:00.000-07:00

Here are a few random pictures I've taken over the last couple weeks. Carsyn and her best friend Taylor looked so cute all dressed up I had to stick that one in here. Maybe they're practicing for Halloween!

New Looks

2008-09-01T12:40:00.000-07:00

After spending lots of our time at the pool this summer it was time to get rid of our "chlorine" hair. Thankfully Mom's hairdresser is awesome and did everyone in one visit. Check out our new do's! (Mom is starting to question the intelligence behind this move as now the girls look the same even from behind! It just got harder to yell at the right kid!) Don't they look adorable?

First Day of School!

2008-08-25T19:29:00.000-07:00

Well, it happened again. Summer ended and the school year began! Today was the kids first day back to school. Cali started middle school this year (6th grade) so everything was new to her. She came home (on the bus) reporting that it was great! Mom was very relieved that the day had a positive outcome as Cali had been very anxious about going to a new school. Cayden started 3rd grade and has a brand new, straight out of college man as her teacher! So far so good! She wasn't so sure about having a male teacher but once we explained that her Dad had started out as a classroom teacher she became a little more open minded! Camryn started 1st grade and also has a teacher that is new to their school. I'm not sure yet if she taught somewhere else or if she is also going to be broken in by my kids! We will see. We decided not to tell her too much about Camryn as it is always fun to let people discover Camryn for themselves! (Maybe the kindergarten teacher already filled her in!) Carsyn doesn't start preschool until after Labor Day so she felt a little left out this morning. It didn't last too long though as she spent most of the day playing at her "best friend Taylor's" house while Mom had meetings. Mom had truly forgotten how incredibly exhausting it is to send kids to school. Amazingly no one was late for their first day!

Meeting Ty!

2008-07-20T12:05:00.000-07:00

In June we were lucky enough to receive a visit from Rachel, Ty and Grandma. They enjoyed our mild weather as the Phoenix area was under a heat advisory. We went to the Discovery Center while they were here, ate out at everyone's favorite - Lamberts, went to Branson but mostly just spent time hanging out at home and playing.

Cruising to Mexico

2008-07-18T18:50:00.000-07:00

In June we took an awesome vacation. We were celebrating Mom & Dad's 40th wedding anniversary by taking a family cruise! Brandon & Reesha were there, as were Dustin & Lynn. It was fun to be able to spend some time together and visit new places. Before we got on the ship we also got to spend a day playing at the beach in Galveston, Texas.

Just for practice?

2008-07-18T18:33:00.000-07:00

One of the requirements of the cruise ship is that you participate in an emergency drill. It seemed to be just routine to most of us however I'm not so sure what Camryn thought about it!

Relaxing

2008-07-18T18:28:00.000-07:00

There was no shortage of things to do but it was also nice just to spend a little time hanging out together.

Eating and eating and eating!

2008-07-18T18:16:00.000-07:00

Dinner on the cruise was quite an affair. Every night we would get cleaned up (one night we got all dressed up) and go the dining room. Our waiter would put the menu in front of you and your napkin in your lap if you weren't fast enough! The choices were awesome and we had lots of fun trying new things. We had assigned tables but with so many of us we got two tables all to ourselves! It was such a treat not to have to think about, plan, prepare or clean up after meals for 5 whole days!! Truly a vacation for any mom! As if that wasn't enough there was always a 24 hour sandwich and pizza bar for snacking in between meals! Most nights the serving staff performed in some way. Camryn really enjoyed getting into their little shows.

Cozumel

2008-07-18T17:59:00.000-07:00

Our favorite stop was Cozumel, Mexico. There we spent the day snorkeling, hanging out on the beach, and enjoying the amazingly clear water! The girls loved seeing and swimming with all the fish. That day happened to be June 12, which was Camryn's 7th birthday so we let her fill her "life's dream to kiss a dolphin" - her words, not mine! Here are a few pictures of our fantastic day.

Eleven and counting

2008-05-25T15:36:00.000-07:00

This weekend we celebrated Cali's birthday. She got spoiled rotten! On her birthday Mom took her lunch at school from Steak-n-Shake then Papa took everyone out for pizza that night. She got her requested remote control helicopter from Grandma and Grandpa, a gift card from Target from Uncle Dustin and Aunt Lynn, some new CD's from Aunt Reesha and Uncle Brandon, Harry Potter movies and birthstone jewelry from Grandma and Papa and her own digital camera from Mom and Dad. (She has started teaching Mom how to use the video feature on the camera so maybe video clips will be added to our blog in the near future!) We grilled and had everyone over on Saturday to help celebrate and hang out in the back yard. Oh yeah, there was ice cream cake too - another request from the birthday girl!

A clear view

2008-05-25T15:24:00.000-07:00

Cayden had noticed she had trouble reading the hymn numbers at church so we took her to see Dr. Hasson. He is quickly becoming our family optometrist. Cayden makes number four in our house to wear glasses or contacts. She picked out these frames herself. The only requirement on her part - they had to be purple!

Piano Recital

2008-05-25T15:20:00.000-07:00

Cayden had a piano recital. She played her piece wonderfully and from memory. It was great to hear how much progress each one of the kids had made since the last recital.

Biking for a cause!

2008-05-25T15:15:00.000-07:00

Carsyn participated in a trike-a-thon at preschool to help raise money for St. Judes Children's Hospital. It was a huge success. The school raised just over $12,000! And of course the kids had a great time riding!

More Wedding Fun

2008-04-07T13:50:00.000-07:00

This weekend a reception for Lynn and Dustin was held in Springfield to celebrate their marriage. I think this may have been the final chapter in the story of the wedding! We are so glad they managed to get here so we had one more chance to celebrate (and of course eat too much!)

All Dolled Up

2008-04-07T13:13:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of the most important people in the wedding. Aunt Lynn(the bride)Uncle Dustin (the groom) and of course the flower girls! Aunt Reesha made the cut also, she was a bridesmaid. Doesn't everyone look great?

Wedding Prep

2008-04-07T13:06:00.001-07:00

Here's a few pictures of the beautiful flower girls as they waited patiently for the big moment. They were so excited when it came time to line up and get ready to go!

A little Dancing

2008-04-07T13:01:00.001-07:00

The girls were ready to let loose and party after being so well behaved during the ceremony. Here's a few shots of the party girls!

After the Wedding

2008-04-07T12:49:00.000-07:00

After the wedding festivities were over we headed out to Virginia Beach where we enjoyed the amazing hospitality of our friends Andy, Abbey and Owen Cook. They scouted out some great stuff for us to do while we were there. We visited the Virginia Aquarium, watched an IMAX movie about whales and dolphins, climbed Mt. Trashmore, and best of all spent a little time at the beach!

Playtime in Oklahoma

2008-03-07T19:06:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we went to Oklahoma City. Zach was swimming there and Grandma and Grandpa were flying in to watch. Since it wasn't too far to go for a weekend, we packed up and headed out. Zach didn't swim until late Saturday afternoon so we had some time to play. First we visited the Oklahoma City Memorial where the bombing of the Federal Building occurred in 1995. It is a wonderful tribute to the people who were killed that day.

On a lighter note, we took advantage of some nice weather and played miniature golf. I didn't think the kids' attention spans would last 18 holes but they proved me wrong. After golf we had time to play some games. Cayden and Grandpa Fetch were quite serious about these pinball games.

Trouble with Crack!

2008-03-07T18:56:00.000-08:00

This is a constant sight in Camryn's presence! The poor child cannot keep her pants up high enough to cover her little butt crack. I am constantly telling her to pull her pants up but it just doesn't seem to help. Maybe I should get her some suspenders! I guess this is a problem that people with no hips have. (Sadly I wouldn't know as I have more than enough in my hip area!)

Swim Meet

2008-03-07T18:50:00.001-08:00

The girls did their part to cheer on Uncle Zach. Camryn held up a sign to cheer him on! We only saw Zach swim one race, but we did get a chance to visit. Wonder what they're talking about? Swimming is a pretty safe bet!

Sharing Her Talent

2008-03-07T18:33:00.000-08:00

Cali had her first orchestra concert since joining 5th grade strings at school. They combined several schools 5th graders and the middle school orchestra to put on a lovely concert. We caught a glimpse of her as she came filing in.

More!

2008-02-19T13:50:00.000-08:00

I thought I would take the time to go ahead and put the other pictures from our sitting up for all to see! As much of a hassle as it is to get everyone ready and posed and smiling, I love the finished product. Thanks for all your comments. It helps keep me motivated to do this when I know people are watching and enjoying!

Family fun!

2008-02-13T19:07:00.000-08:00

Since we have been out of school I thought we should take the opportunity to update our family picture. It is sure a challenge but I loved this one. Lucky for Dad the photographer worked fast!

Keeping busy

2008-02-13T08:56:00.000-08:00

Since we haven't had school we have kept busy in other ways.

Cali spent time working on her class Valentines. Camryn and Carsyn played Barbies. Dad and Cayden and Dad played "Boggle".

Deja Vu

2008-02-13T08:49:00.001-08:00

Can you believe we have been hit again? This makes 3 ice storms in 13 months. We are on day 3 of no school. Many people are with out power - again! Thankfully this time we managed to keep ours. Good thing we had all our trees trimmed after the first ice storm!

More Christmas Fun

2008-01-03T12:13:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning we stayed home and opened more presents. There were lots of presents under our tree. We are so lucky to have so many people who love us!

Christmas Fun

2008-01-03T12:02:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve was spent at Grandma and Papa's house. Reesha and Brandon, Darin, and the whole Anderson clan were there. Sadly Dustin had some flight problems and got stuck in Chicago. While we missed him, Christmas had to go on!

Christmas Program

2008-01-03T11:54:00.000-08:00

Carsyn was in two programs at preschool since she goes everyday. One day she was a cow, the other she was a dancing doll. She was a fantastic performer.

Invention Convention

2008-01-03T11:47:00.000-08:00

In December Cali wrapped up a unit at school about inventions. Papa helped her make a prototype of her invention--a nutcracker that would crack multiple nuts at once. Nice to see that patience is one of Cali's strong points! One nut at a time just won't do! She did a great job designing, building and demonstrating her invention.

GO Mizzou!

2007-11-29T10:54:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday was the big MU vs. KU football game. Aunt Reesha and Uncle Brandon were in town so we all watched the game at Grandma and Papa's house. We had some serious MU loyalty to deal with! Brandon graduated from there and Daddy did his doctoral work there. Carsyn did her best to support the team! Lucky for us MU won!

Turkey Celebration

2007-11-29T10:45:00.000-08:00

Camryn had a Thanksgiving celebration at school as is the kindergarten tradition. This was my third (most likely of four) Thanksgiving Feasts to attend! I love each one just as much as the rest! They sang songs, made crafts and of course pigged out! Camryn worked hard making me a macaroni necklace. Notice how her tongue hangs out when she concentrates.(She gets that from her Daddy. He still sticks his tongue out when he is doing things!) Carsyn got to make a necklace too. It was good practice for when she is a kindergartener. Of course the best part came last when they filled up their plates and practiced for the real Thanksgiving meal!

Trick or Treat

2007-11-04T16:39:00.001-08:00

Cayden Carsyn Cali Camryn
"Hippie" "Clown" "Monarch Butterfly" "Wonder Woman"

Lucky for mom they didn't seem to mind that not a lot of our neighbors participated in trick or treating this year. We hit just enough houses to make everyone happy.

Birthdays and Baptism

2007-11-04T16:30:00.000-08:00

Cayden turned 8 on October 21. Carsyn turned 4 on October 23. We decided to split the difference and celebrate both on the 22nd! They were both spoiled as we were lucky enough to have both sets of grandparents here to help celebrate. Not to mention all the great people who sent gifts through the mail. The birthdays seemed to last for days!

Cayden was baptized on her birthday. It just happened to fall on a Sunday this year! Grandma and Grandpa Anderson came from Arizona to participate. Cayden was so happy to have them there. Here we all are on Cayden's special day.

Motorcycle Girl

2007-09-29T19:27:00.000-07:00

Here's Carsyn getting ready for her ride. Much to Mom's dismay all the girls love taking rides with Dad on the motorcycle. Of course Dad is all too willing to accommodate them with a short trip around the neighborhood (no busy streets allowed!)

New looks

2007-09-29T19:14:00.000-07:00

I know, I know--I stink! Sorry this took so long. We've had a crazy schedule. J has been gone a lot lately. That seems to happen in spurts. So I've neglected this. Anyway Cali, Cayden and Camryn all got haircuts this month. Cali found a picture and took it in with her. I almost didn't catch her in time to say no to bangs. We compromised and she got "side bangs". I was told by our stylist that was a compromise. I'm not so sure I won that one! She looks cute as do the other two. I think Cali looks older though, not something I was ready for. Camryn I've decided looks much more mischievous with her cute little bob! I guess that can serve as a warning to those around her!

Another First Day!

2007-09-04T11:10:00.000-07:00

Here is Carsyn on her first day of preschool. She had been waiting for over a week since her sisters started school. She was so excited and so ready to get started.

On the Runway

2007-09-04T11:02:00.000-07:00

Camryn and Carsyn were in a "Back to School" fashion show at church. They sure did a great job strutting their stuff. I should be sooo worried!

First Day of School!

2007-08-23T07:44:00.000-07:00

Here the girls are on the first day of school. Cali is starting 5th grade, Cayden 2nd and Camryn starting kindergarten. And of course Carsyn didn't want to be left out even though preschool starts after labor day! Camryn was so excited for her first day of kindergarten she was up at 6:30 this morning! When I told her she was up too early she said "But I'm so excited to go to kindergarten." Cali was anxious to show off her new look-she recently got contacts so she doesn't have to wear her glasses! What a change! Cayden was just excited because she loves school. Only a few tears were shed by Mom. It is such a bitter-sweet moment. Only Carsyn and the other mommies in the hallway saw them however! I pride myself in hiding first day of school tears from my kids! They might think I wanted to stay home longer!
Hopefully I will put my time to good use and work on my blogging skills over the next few days!

New things

2007-08-11T14:10:00.000-07:00

A new interest at our house is the internet. Cali, Cayden and even Camryn seem to be more internet savy than their mom. We try to encourage some of the more educational sites but they find the games at Disney's website quite fun. Now if we can just work out some kind of schedule so they don't fight? Here's Cayden caught in the act!

What am I doing?

2007-08-11T09:29:00.000-07:00

This is way out of my comfort zone but I thought I'd give it a try. Besides that I don't know of a better (easier!) way to keep everyone updated on what is happening here. Please be patient with me as I learn the ins and outs of blogging!