First Day of School 2009

Well, we made it through the first week of school. I REALLY like Ben's 3rd grade teacher, Mrs. Triplett. She is really fun and exciting. She has been teaching awile and has been doing Gifted and Talented stuff before. GREAT!! That is just what Ben needs. Zack's teacher is Mrs. Coogle. She also has been teaching awhile, but I'm just not sure yet how I feel about her. But, Zack seems to be liking school. He always comes home happy like he's had a good day. I think this will be a great year for both of them. McKayLeigh on the other hand...she is potty trained now and she keeps saying she is a big girl and keeps asking why she can't go to school. She wants to ride the bus, too, with her brothers and be big. She will go to Preschool next fall and Kindergarten the fall after that. But for now, we are enjoying being together and doing GIRL things...like we get to watch all the GIRLY movies we want. And we get to go shopping together. She doesn't get tired of shopping like her brothers (AND FATHER) do. We are all doing well in this new year of adventure!!

Summer Haircuts

Today I gave the kids a haircut for summer. They look so nice now. I convinced Ben to go short again. And, I used some of my Sunglitz haircolor stuff I still have and we got rid of most of the dark black color from when we did his hair in December. He really likes the change up. I'm glad. I can really see his face again and he looks so nice. Zack is proud of his haircut, too. He got really upset when McKayLeigh messed it up. He wanted it 'JUST SO!' And KayLeigh got hers a little chopped, too. It has a good shape to it now. I am so glad that I can do that for my kids. Now...I need to make an appointment to get mine done. YEAH!!

Joyride...from YOU KNOW WHERE!!

This photo is on one of my new favorite websites: www.awkwardfamilyphotos.com I can't stop seeing this girl's face in my mind and laughing. I love it!!

Free Sonic Float Night

We went to Sonic for their Free Root Beer Floats last night. We had fun. Ben tried them and didn't like them. KayLeigh liked it all. Zack drank his root beer and then ate his icecream without mixing them up....sounds like my son. Anyway...we had fun and tried something new. Yeah!

Ben's Last Day of 2nd Grade

Ben's last day of 2nd Grade was today. He got a trophy and a medal from his teacher. Everyone got a medal, but the trophies went to the 1st-5th best students in the class. Ben was 4th. He was so happy to finally get a trophy. I was so proud of him. Way to go!!

Spare Time...What's That?

As many of you know, I have been trying my hand at making a braided rug. A little bit ago, I decided to just do it. So, I bought some supplies and found some info on the Internet and got started. Well...it's a slow process. Making a rug isn't necessarily hard, it just takes a while to do it. It is not a overnight craft project, to say the least. Here are some pictures of my progress. My kids are great. Ben is really excited for it to be done. In fact, he told me the other night, "Mom...you should really work on your rug in your spare time and get it done." Well...there you have it. Right from the mouths of babes...I SHOULD work on my rug in my spare time. Now...for spare time....

Another Trip to The Emergency Room

All in all, our family has not had many trips to the ER (knock on wood), which has been fantastic. But we have been babysitting our neighbor's rat named Drake. All our kids, even Shasta, are so amazed by this little creature. They watch it for hours. Of course, McKayLeigh wanted to touch it and was poking her fingers in the cage. Drake bit her finger...really good. She started crying and we noticed blood EVERYWHERE! I think the finger tips bleed a lot more than other places on the body. We put pressure on it of course and tried to stop the bleeding but it wasn't working. So, I drove her to the ER. After 4 1/2 hours sitting in the waiting room, her finger stopped bleeding on its own. The doctors even had the nerve to ask me, 'Was her finger bleeding at all?' YES!! So after all that, it just looks like she has a small paper cut on her finger tip and got just a good ol' regular bandaid. I am glad it wasn't worse, but I was kinda hoping for stitches with all the drama that came with last night. Oh well...we are grateful it is all good.

Playgroup

I have been really enjoying being a part of the playgroup in our ward with some of the other moms and kids that we know. I've been trying to do some sort of fun activity when it is my turn to host it. We took the kids to the firestation a while back and now we have taken them to our local Police Station. And last week we let them color some Easter Eggs. That was GREAT fun. It was only after two pots of egg dye were dumped out in my kitchen that we finally realized this was an outdoor activity with children this age. So, we took them outside and they finished their eggs. At least they enjoyed themselves. And the mess was not that bad inside...it cleaned up pretty good. But...note to self...Dye Easter Eggs Outside Next Year.

Easter 2009

The kids on Easter Morning.








McKayLeigh on Easter Morning.

















Zack on Easter Morning.













Ben on Easter Morning.









Adam and I on Easter Morning.


We had a great Easter this year. The kids got one new movie and new swimsuits and a bit of candy...which was mostly eaten by Sunday night. Oh well...they enjoyed themselves.

KayLeigh's Birthday!!

McKayLeigh in New Birthday Dress.



McKayLeigh with Baby Princess Birthday Cake.



McKayLeigh opening her presents on her Birthday morning.

Another shot of her Birthday Dress.


Her Baby Princess Birthday Cake.

March 2nd was McKayLeigh's birthday. It seemed to last all week. We opened her presents on her Birthday. We did her cake the day after. The next day we went to the firestation and had more cupcakes with them. It's been fun. I want to thank (and KayLeigh wants to thank) everyone for the gifts and thoughts they sent her. With her Birthday money, she bought a Dora the Explorer DVD. For some odd reason, we didn't own any of those DVDs. Now, it's one of her favorites. Since she has seen it so much in such a short amount of time, she is really picking up on things. I overheard her the other day counting in Spanish. There's a few other words she and Zack say as they are playing, too. What fun!! Thanks again!

Fire Station Field Trip

Yesterday the playgroup in our ward met at our local Fire Station and the Firemen took us around their station. The kids had so much fun. The kids were able to interact with Fireman Darryl in all his gear so they would get used to seeing that and not be afraid if they ever saw a fireman in all his gear. They were very friendly and nice. They took the kids outside and let them look at the trucks. Our local station is very old and they are desperately waiting for the new one. They broke ground for it in September 2007 and it seems like it won't even be ready til the end of this year. Hopefully the workers will get moving on it. It will be so nice. One thing interesting that we learned is that the Firestations no longer have Fire Poles. They actually caused too many accidents and they don't put them in any more. They try, as much as possible, to have the Firestations on one level.

Beau-geous!

I have been fiddling with my blog and finally adjusting some of the stuff making it MY OWN. I have found some things that I really like. Since December, McKayLeigh has been using a word she made up and she uses it A LOT!! It's BEAU-GEOUS! It's a cross between the word Beautiful and Gorgeous. I love it! I find myself using that word, too. As example, the new layout of our Blog is...BEAU-GEOUS!

Hello, Dolly!

Thank you to Disney's Wall-E movie for bringing back a great movie. Because since Christmas my kids have seen Wall-E about 1,000 times and I have listened to it a good portion of those times, I have had songs from that movie that are in the Hello, Dolly! musical stuck in my head. So, I downloaded the soundtrack and listened to it about 10 times now. I need to rent it this weekend. I had forgotten how much I LOVE that musical. Maybe I need to have Adam go with me to a musical performance of some sort for my Birthday coming up instead of the usual dinner and movie. Hmmm...we'll see. But definitely put it on your list of movies to re-vive!

Our Christmas Letter 2008

If anyone missed it, here is the Christmas Letter we sent out this year. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas 2008

This year has been eventful. It started with a nice visit from my sister, Steph, and her husband, Matt and their two boys, Oscar and Aaron. They came just after Christmas last year. It was great. We went to the beach on the coldest day EVER! Then we ate Gator in New Orleans. It was a fun visit. Soon after that Zack has his tonsils and adenoids taken out. He recovered real quickly and since has been doing just fine and his breathing is so much better. In March we were able to go visit Valdosta, GA. That was where Adam was stationed first. That is where Ben was born. We met up with some old friends from there and had a wonderful day reminiscing about the time we all lived there. It was fun to show Ben where he was born and where we lived.

Ben finished the 1st grade this year. During the same week, Adam was at some training in Tampa, FL. Because his hotel was already paid for, I loaded up the kids and their movies and headphones in our van and drove the 7 hours down to meet him. We stayed with him a couple of nights and we were able to go to Busch Gardens for free because of the gratitude they have for military members. We also walked around Orlando and got a pin from the Hard Rock Cafe to add to my collection. We totally forgot to stop in at the HRC in Tampa. But that means we just have to go back there again, at least for a pin!

The kids probably will say that July was the best month of the year. We ended up 'adopting' a puppy. We named her Shasta. She was born on April 20th and was only 3 months old when we got her. We were at the Animal Shelter getting information on how to adopt a puppy. A man just happened to show up as we were leaving with 3 puppies to drop off. He finally convinced us to take one (for free) before he gave them to the shelter. The kids have been ecstatic ever since. It was a real shock for Adam when I called him at work and told him we had a dog and I needed to know what to do next.

Ben is now in the 2nd grade. He had several friends from 1st grade in his new class which made the transition more smooth. He loves to read and is enjoying his class. Zack started preschool and is absolutely loving his class. He can't wait to go to school each day. When we have a day off it really gets to him. He just wants to go to school and do his homework. He is definitely learning the sounds of the letters because every word he says he emphasizes the letters' beginning sound. He loves to sing his school songs and also the primary songs. He sings all day long as he is playing with his Hotwheels cars. McKayLeigh is now alone with me in the afternoons. She likes that arrangement a lot. We go grocery shopping together and she is a big helper. She has also decided she does not like naps anymore so I can only convince her every once in a while to lay down and rest. She is bright and looks up to her big brothers. She is learning her letter sounds right along with Zack.

I am now currently working in the Relief Society. I am the 2nd counselor and in charge of the activities. I am really loving it. I am able to use my creative and crafty expertise a lot more now. Also, this calling is forcing me to talk to more people and get to know them which is really hard for me to do. But the Lord is blessing me and helping me so much in my calling.
Ben turns 8 this month and he and all of us are excited for his baptism coming up. We are having it the first weekend in January. It's a big thing for the primary, too, in our ward. It's been a while since we've had a baptism here and everyone is excited, too.

Adam is moving right along with his schooling. It's not his favorite thing to do, but he does it anyway. About this time next year, he should be done with his Bachelor's Degree. Then he can apply for his commissioning and become an officer. Yeah! I will be so glad when he accomplishes that goal. Adam has also been showing off his carpentry skills. With the help of Lowes.com, we were able to design our deck together and then Adam and a few helpers built it. It looks so nice and I am so impressed with his work. He also joined the ranks of other family members and did some tiling in our bathrooms and laundry room. It sure looks so much better. We are very fortunate to have such a 'handy-man' around the house.

We are so grateful to be here in Florida. We love our area and the people we are meeting. We truly believe that no matter how much you try to plan your life and make your own choices, it really is the Lord putting you right where he wants you to be. Our family wishes you and your family the best this season and always.

Love, The Anderson's

Adam, Tennille, Ben, Zack and McKayLeigh

Happy New Year!

Even though it is late, we wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year! I am loving the New Year already. And I'm not even putting 2008 on anything anymore...unlike other years...it takes me til March before it really sinks in that it is a new year.

We had a great Christmas. We got a new TV (flat panel) for our room. The kids got a Wii. (But I must say...I love that thing, too!) Zack got a Hotwheels race track and various new Hotwheels or BEAT-THAT cars (as he calls them) that he loves. McKayLeigh got a Princess doll and pony and new stroller that she loves. Ben got a rocket launcher and a Wall-E book and movie that he loves. I got an electric Grill and a steam mop that I truly LOVE to pieces!! So it was a good Christmas.

We were fortunate enough to have some family and friends join us for several days between the holidays. My very good friend of 17+ years, JaNae, came for a visit. Also, my parents and Adam's parents came to town, too. We also had an awesome New Year's Eve party. Several friends came over and we played spoons, did sparklers and watched WALL-E and ate some GOOD food. The pulled BBQ pork didn't turn out like I had planned, but it was still good.

Our friends and family were in town to also help celebrate a very important event in the life of our oldest son, Ben. He turned 8 years old on the 16th of December and was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on Jan. 3rd and confirmed that same day, as well. It was a wonderful day. Ben's favorite part, though, was going home. Hee Hee Hee!