It all started with a tree...

It started with a tree and then...The day after Thanksgiving, we went out to get our tree. We found a nice family owned tree farm and cut down a beautiful tree. That day we put the tree up, with Anderson's help, and decorated the house inside and out. Anderson didn't help put the tree up, but he loved moving the box that held the lights and decorations all over the house.

Before the WHOLE (Josh's mom, step-dad, dad and step-mom, and my mom and step-dad) family came over for Christmas day, we opened presents. One of Anderson's favorites was his new indoor tent. After opening it up and putting it together, he brought all of his toys in and played. He thought it was funny to go in and out of the tent door.
Once the whole family was here, we opened more presents. Anderson is a very loved child! He got a lot of great toys and clothes. He was a very slow present opener. He would tear a piece of paper off the package, roll it up into a ball, find the perfect place to toss it, and then repeat the whole process until the package was unwrapped. He also insisted that we completely open the toy before he would open a new package. It was a long process, but a cute one!
Another favorite toy that Anderson got for Christmas, was a new car. Luckily for Anderson's parents, papa Greg was there to put the car together. What would have taken us years to put together only took Greg a few moments. Thank you Greg! Anderson spent the rest of the night driving his car around the house. I wish I had had a camera the moment Anderson first saw the car built, it was priceless! Pure child joy.

Although Anderson was up way too late (he didn't want the fun to end), we had a wonderful family filled day. It is always fun to have most of the family together, spending it just talking and goofing off.

Beach Time!

Since fall is hiding and our sunny days are staying around we decided to go to the beach. A few weeks ago Anderson, uncle Bubba, Rufus and I took our best digging tools and headed to the waterfront. I think I probably took about 100 pictures while Anderson played in the sand. He threw rocks, chased Rufus, and dug holes. We went on a walk as Anderson waved hello to strangers. He loves to say hello and good bye to people.

A Day at the Pumpkin Patch

Josh had the weekend off, so what better way to celebrate then go to a pumpkin patch! We found one nearby that had animals, mazes, lots and lots of pumpkins, and many great picture moments. We tried to time our visit perfectly, so we went right when they opened. It was great! Since we got there so early, there was almost nobody there. Anderson got to run around and climb things without having to worry about getting in people's ways. This car was Anderson's favorite part. We passed by it many times and every time Anderson insisted on playing on the car. One of the great picture moments....how can you pass up the opportunity to have a picture taken in a pumpkin house?

Anderson wasn't so sure about this picture moment. He didn't understand that he was supposed to put his head in the hole. He kept wanting to play with the legs in the back. After a long hour of fun, we came home with a tired boy and a great pumpkin.

1st Camping Trip

A few days ago our family went camping with some friends. It was Anderson's first time camping so I was a little nervous about how he would do both sleeping and entertaining himself. He did pretty well at both. He had fun playing with the flash light. He couldn't figure out how to turn it on and eventually gave up. He also enjoyed throwing rocks into the river that was behind our camping site. He would throw a rock in and then put his hands up and smile. We brought his new bike with us which he enjoyed riding down the hill and around the site.

Anderson had fun helping dad find wood to start a fire with. I don't know how much "help" he was, but he followed Josh to look for wood.

This is a good picture to give everyone an idea of how clean Anderson was the whole time we were camping. Every time we washed his face and hands, he quickly got dirty all over again. When we got home a bath was a must!

Fun Time in Tahoe!

In July we were lucky enough to go visit our good friends Shauna and Paul in Tahoe. It was a blast hanging out, watching the kids play, and swimming our days away. We were very busy in our short time there.

Since Anderson loves bikes, we rented bikes to ride around on while looking at beautiful views. It was late that day and Anderson had only a short nap that day, so of course the second we got on the bikes, he feel asleep. After an hour, we turned the bikes in. While I was paying, Josh waited with Anderson outside. The entire time I was paying, Anderson kept pointing at the bikes and pointing with a large smile on his face. The poor boy didn't even realize that we had spent the last hour on a bike.

Family photo time. With such a great background we couldn't resist the opportunity to sit and smile.

Anderson spent a lot of time putting sand into his buckets. He also enjoyed throwing rocks with his dad and mom.

Bulid a Fort

When it is cold outside and you have an energetic boy what do you do? You build a fort! We got a bunch of blankets out of the closet and hung them over the furniture. Then, we brought our favorite toys and books in with us and just hung out and played. Anderson had so much fun going in and out of the fort. He thought it was really funny when Stash tried to walk on a spot and put a hole in the fort (walked on a seam). He also enjoyed with Rufus and Ernie (the dog we are dogsitting) got into the fort with us.

Anderson figured out that he didn't have to go through the fort door to get in, he was small enough to climb under the table.

Anderson spent about 5 minutes just looking at this book while in the fort.

Fourth of July

For the 4th of July our family went to my aunt Barb's house to celebrate. She has a party each year and we cannot pass up the opportunity to see lots of family, play in the water, and roast marshmallows while watching fireworks. Anderson had a great day!

When we first got there Josh wasn't with us, because he had to work. I was too scared to go to the water with Anderson by myself so Anderson and I waited until Josh got there. While we waited, Anderson played on the deck with the chairs. He thought they were the neatest invention. He sat in them, turned himself backwards, and then tried to close the chair up while sitting in it. Every time the chair started to fold he got scared and looked at me for help. After I helped him get out, he laughed and then did it all over again. Sorry that the pictures are out of order....

After Josh arrived we went down to the water. It was really hot outside and in my opinion the water was perfect for swimming in, but Anderson didn't agree. Whenever we put him in the water he just looked at us and cried. As long as we were right next to him on the beach he was happy, so we played in the sand with our feet in the water.

At the end of the day, before roasting marshmallows, we went on a nice boat ride around the lake. Anderson just sat on my lap and pointed at things while we drove past other families celebrating. Every time he saw a dog, he pointed and said, "dog". When we got back from our boat ride, Anderson slept on Josh in the carrier, while we roasted marshmallows and watched fireworks. He slept through the loud chatter and booms all around us. Maybe next year he will be able to stay up for the show.