BOYS

These boys around here have been SUPER busy!
First: Dillan completed his Rocket Words, the final set in the word clubs for 1st grade. That's 786 words he knows "quick as a snap!" During winter break, he and Daddy worked hard to finish up his last few words. Dillan's motivation was he wanted to be the first in his class to finish. Always competitive, he was neck-and-neck with a friend and ended up beating him. He received another dog tag for his chain and was glowing in front of the school, so proud of himself.
He is also quite the reader and earned a level 20 on his report card. The principal wrote a note on his report congratulating him on a job well done. I'm so glad he loves reading and learning. Fingers crossed he'll keep it up!
AND...on Saturday he scored his first game-time basket during basketball this season.
Darn, no picture.

Little Drew isn't so little anymore, he's hit a growth spurt recently. He now stands on his own and has even taken 3 or 4 steps! His top 4 teeth have all sprouted at once, so no more toothless smile! He's also quite the electronics junky loving phones, laptops, Wii controllers and remote controls. He recently discovered pointing his finger to type and press keys. He turns the big 1 next week!

Camping!

Yep, in January. The weather has been impeccable, and since Grandma and Papa have all the cool camping stuff, they invited us out to the beach with them to spend a few days.

We had a lot of fun riding our bikes all over the campground. Leah is getting pretty good on her new Christmas present bike and loves all the pink. Drew rode around in the trailer, and even caught some Zs on a few rides.

We played in the sand (the water was freezing) and searched for rocks with GGMa. It was cute to see Dillan and GGMa sharing the same compassion for treasure hunting and finding unique rocks. They are kindred spirits in that sense.


We had delicious dutch oven meals over the campfire and of course all the s'mores and biscuits we could handle.

The kids love sleeping in the tent with sleeping bags and even though it was chilly at night, everyone slept great!

Can't wait till next time!

Bring on 2012!

2011 brought us so many blessings and lessons, it makes the new year exciting to see what's in store. Never a dull moment around here.
Basketball season is off to a great start. Dillan loves it. He has a great coach and loves learning the game and sharing the passion Daddy has for the sport.

We had a wonderful holiday season spending a lot of time with family. There were visitors from Missouri who came and stayed.

The kids got lots of gifts on Christmas, trying to be good, thanks to the watchful eye of our elf Scratchy Zart.

He went back home with Santa on Christmas Eve, but the kids still ask about him. They wonder if he's married and if he'll be back next year. Such a fun tradition. Such great memories to record.

Our little baby boy is growing up. He tries to stand up on his own and we are sure at any time he'll be walking. Only 1 month away from being 1-year-old. Time is FLYING!

We got to visit the Newport Beach temple for a cousin's wedding. Leah is already planning her special day. A pretty princess dress, plenty of flowers (she really wanted to catch the bouquet), and a prince who will dance with her THE RIGHT WAY, with plenty of twirling.

Leah has also started out her new year with the decision to get her ears pierced. Again. Maybe it was the wedding, but she brought it up to me one night. I told her ok, figuring she'd forget about it and I wasn't about to bring it up. But sure enough, she brought it up the next day and insisted we go. So I took her to the mall, not sure what to expect. She got up on the chair, picked her earrings and BAM! No tears. NONE. She didn't make a sound, just smiled when she looked in the mirror. WHAT!? Wait, what just happened? She brings me her cleaning stuff every morning and night reminding me to clean them. She loves her new look!

Merry Christmas!

Such a fun time of the year around here. It's so fun to see the excitement on the kids' faces. The anticipation leading up to Christmas is my favorite thing. There is magic .
It's so great talking to the children about the birth of Jesus and seeing their understanding grow.


We know we are so truly blessed with everything we have. We are so grateful for those who bless our lives.

Merry Christmas!

Letters to Santa

We're getting ready for Christmas as best we know how! The kids have loved our new tradition of the Elf on the Shelf. He showed up Nov 30 in the evening as we were getting ready for bed. The doorbell rang and we ran to the door to answer. There was no one there, just a package on the doorstep. It wrapped in nice wrapping paper with a note that read "To the Anderson Family, from the North Pole." Daddy opened our package and the kids were shocked! They instantly tried to grab the elf, who was under plastic still, before Daddy read the story telling us how the elf works. Now we know that we can't touch the elf, only Mommy and Daddy. The story told us to name him and put his name in the book. Leah chose Scratchy. Dillan chose Zart. So he's Scratchy Zart. Officially.
He's found every morning in some new place. One morning we found him in the bathroom wrapped in a elf towel (washcloth) surrounded by toothpaste, Q-Tips, floss, and shaving cream on his face. He had drawn a picture of himself on the mirror with shaving cream and wrote his name. Another morning he was downstairs having a tea party with a couple Barbies and Buzz Lightyear.
The children mention him in their prayers as they remind themselves to make good choices and follow Jesus' example.
These are their letters they wrote to Santa after our night out visiting the toy stores.

Leah's is word for word what she said, written by Mommy. I love how she mentions her baby brother and gifts for Mommy and Daddy.

Dillan too. He was so unsure about what he wanted and changed his mind so many times.
Gotta love the holiday season!

Us lately

Things going on lately in the fam.

Dillan has become quite the soccer player. "The Wall" finished his best season yet. He made everyone proud who watched him. He was the youngest on his team, playing with some 2nd and 3rd graders, but that didn't stop him from being a dominant presence on the field. He's also become very competitive and shows a lot of maturity when playing. We are so proud of you D! Up next: Basketball!

Leah has been enjoying her tiny princess ballet class. She took 2 sessions and loved it! She was a good listener to her teacher and did her very best at every class. Every week she jumped out of bed and asked if it was Wednesday. When it was, she quickly put on her dance clothes and asked to have her hair done. She wore her clothes the whole day until class was over later in the afternoon. Great job Leah!

Drewby is the little explorer. He takes off everywhere and has discovered a love for climbing. He also has become a good eater, eating anything put in front of him or spooned into his mouth. Such a good example for big brother and sister! He's a good little sleeper and only cries when he's allowed. Such a sweet little love bug!

Our family has also recently created a new tradition, thanks to Leah.
Pretzels at the MALL!

9 months

Little Drewby went to the Doctor on his 9-month birthday for some shots/check-up.
At 9 months:

18.8 pounds= 20th percentile
27 inches= 35th percentile

Still little, but at least proportionate. He's officially mobile, and has also figured out

STANDING! Ta Da!
He goes everywhere-fast-and loves to get into everything.
He also loves cords of all kind (except the plugged-in kind).
He's a master raspberry maker & spit bubble maker.
He eats anything and everything put in front of him.
He loves to go places with everyone, and doesn't even mind sleeping in his car seat.
His favorite person is big brother Dillan.
He is so easy-going and goes along with all the madness around him.

Such a fun boy!