Anderson Christmas Party

We started the evening with food...because, it's fantastic.  Caleb couldn't believe that we were eating before we got to open any presents.  Ashley brought some fun photo props to play with.

Someone got this little lady her very own makeup.  She knew what it was the second she opened it.  It was gone within a week.  She was a happy, sparkly little girl.

I can't believe that itty bitty Griffy Poo and Blakie fill up an entire couch!!  Who told them to grow up??!!  Luke & Jackson got some pretty awesome ride on toys from my parents and all of the little girls got beautiful jewelry boxes.  Caleb loved his magic set and walkie talkies.

Griffen read us the story of the birth of Jesus.  They boys were listening intently as you can see.  Blake looks so cute in this picture...it makes my heart happy when he smiles.  Taylor & Rylee...they are so funny.  They each got a rainbow skirt for dance class and they loved it.  Rylee could hardly wait to put hers on.

After presents we played some games and waiting to see which kid was going to get bonked in the face with the Foosball table.  Luckily it was an accident free evening.  Poor little Jackson was so sick.  It was so sad!!

My mom bought a new game.  It was so hilarious!!  Caleb tried to read one of the cards with a mouth piece in and he was laughing so hard that he was crying and drooling!!!  Can you see my mom cracking up??  Her laugh is probably one of my favorite things in the world.

This is a darling group of little people.  I love them all so much!! 

Santa!

Casey & I loaded up the family wagon one evening and headed to Elwood to Mountain View Nursery.  They have a camel, donkey, sheep and SANTA!  They also had beautiful poinsettias!  I wish I would have had somewhere to display some at home, because I would've bought some!

Just a couple of hours before we left, I called and invited my parents and Casey's parents to meet us there if they wanted to.  Brad & Mona weren't able to make it...but after some scolding from my mother about not giving her enough notice, my parents managed to make it.  Luke was pretty timid at first about getting to close to the animals.  I'll miss his timid stage.  Rylee insisted on getting her picture taken with the camel.

Taylor was a little nervous about approaching Santa, but with Casey's help she made it.  Rylee apparently loved him, and Luke could've cared less.  He just wanted the candy cane. 

They asked the big man for the following:  Caleb - Jurassic world lego sets, Taylor - A barbie house, Rylee - paints, Alexa - a barbie, and Luke didn't ask for a single thing.  Casey & I asked for a new TV for upstairs.

Happy Birthday Caleb!

How is it that I have a 9 year old?  I'm not that old!  This boy can be the sweetest, most caring soul in the world - and the next day you get someone completely different!  The other day I had a terrible migraine and was sitting on the couch and he came over, put his arm on my leg and looked up at me and said, "I'm so sorry that you have this headache mom.  I hope it's better soon."  Talk about melt me into a puddle.

He is such a skinny boy.  Just the other night it took him over 30 minutes to eat a cutie and a string cheese.  He'll eat...but it takes him forever.  He is so smart!  His class has started learning multiplication and he is a whiz at it.  He is completely fascinated with dinosaurs and killer whales at the moment.  He is my best helper.  He sweeps the floor, empties the dishwasher, feeds the cat, puts his laundry away and helps keep his 3 year old babies entertained.  

His birthday dinner consisted of, "Mac and Cheese out of the blue box, red apple slices and garlic bread"  He's asked for this for the past few years, I wonder if it will ever change.

He had been asking FOR THE LONGEST TIME for a "Killer Whale Stuffy".  We had seen a couple at some stores, but they were so big!  He was so excited when he opened up his killer whale.  He's slept with it every night since he got it.  He requested a killer whale cake...I felt like this was out of my wheelhouse so I ordered one from Kents.  Ashley was eating it and said, "Brittni has mastered her frosting.  This tastes just like Kents!"

Some of my family and some of Casey's family came to celebrate our big boy's day.  Caleb also wanted our neighbors, Allie & RJ to come celebrate too.  He got some fun new toys and had a fantastic birthday.

November

Halloween is over!  These girls were just chill-axin' in their jammies one morning, enjoying some candy.

Casey & I got to go to dinner for our 13th anniversary.  It was our first time to the Prairie Schooner and it was YUMMY. 

Caleb told me he was bored one day, so I told him to go rake up some leaves.  He was NOT happy about that at all.  But he ended up with a fairly decent pile when it was all said and done.

Seriously...I get sick of trying to feed people all the time.  One morning Lexi had finished her applesauce pancakes and Luke hadn't.  (I know...I looked)  And I caught that little punk Luke putting his pancake pieces onto Lexi's empty plate and then he proudly announced, "I'm all done!"

Casey & Caleb got started on putting Christmas lights on the house this year.

Sharing with each other...loving each other...being complete adorable. 

I was starting to get my Christmas decorations out and Luke LOVED my trees.  He lined them up largest to smallest and stared at them forever.

Buddies!!

Where's Luke???  OH!  There he is!

Grandma Mona came to babysit one afternoon.  The girls were thrilled because she agreed to let them do her hair.

This little princess kept asking me the same thing over & over & over one morning and I had no idea what she was saying.  We were both getting so frustrated!  I told her to "show me"  so she brought up this dress and necklace.  On the kindle she had just watched a show...and it was about the Nutcraker Ballet.  That is what she wanted to be.  The Nutcracker Ballet.  Wish granted baby girl. 

October

My babies had their 3rd birthday party!  They are apparently working on finding their perfect smiles at the moment.  I can't believe my babies are 3!

It was time for the cribs to go.  But it just so happened that one crib was sold before the other one.  Nap time and night time got a little cozy for these two for a couple of nights.

For their birthday Casey & I got them some new mattresses.  They LOVED them.  Lexi put herself down for naptime one afternoon and she kept her boots and "glubs" on.

After getting used to the new mattresses, we got them some bed frames.  The twin mattresses that we bought didn't fit the frames!!  They were way to long!  Luckily we were able to give Taylor & Rylee the new mattresses and their old ones fit into the bed frames.  Luke only fell out once.

Taylor & Caleb are best friends most of the time.  They seem to have such a sweet bond.

I got a wild hair one day and decided I wanted to paint my barstools.  Well....needless to say I had a lot of people that wanted to help me out.  They didn't work out though :(  The paint chips off like crazy.  I hate when projects don't work out.  Oh well though.  Lesson learned.

I knew my kids were playing with the neighbors one day and it had started raining.  So I peeked out the window to see whose house they were going to take refuge in - but they were in John's hunting boat.  Except - it was their pirate ship.  Adorable!

Keeping toddlers entertained without using a TV or a tablet is a full time job.

This particular day we were practicing on a little hand/eye coordination by putting change into the piggy banks.  They loved their 'moneys!"

Casey let Rylee assist in moving the lawn one evening.

I put these curlers in Lexi's hair one night after her bath.  She always wants them in her hair when I do her sisters, but I don't have enough of them.  But she couldn't fall asleep with them in her hair, so we didn't even get the after picture.  We'll have to try again another time.

These masks were so cute!  They were at Michaels and I couldn't pass them up.  I baby sit my friends girls a couple days/week and they all had a blast coloring them one day after school.

It was crazy sock day at school.  I let Taylor & Rylee raid my sock drawer to find some fun ones.  Alexa wanted to play too...she work her gigantic socks all day long.

Casey's annual deer hunting plans were a bust.  He didn't draw out for the hunt!  He was so disappointed.  But - he doesn't stay down long.  He was getting everyone on board to try for an elk hunt instead.  Casey, his brother, Colby and his daughter Kaetlyn were the big hunters.  Their week started out so beautiful!

Caleb even got to go stay for a couple of nights.  And this cutie has perfected his marshmallow toasting.  And, obviously was HATING the flash of the camera.

 By the end of the week - this was their hunting area.  Everything looks so pretty covered with freshly fallen snow.  No one was successful this year in the hunt - but what's awesome about that is there is several more hunting trips in the future.

Halloween!

This year I signed up to be the head room mom in Caleb's class.  Essentially I am in charge of a Halloween, Christmas, Valentine and end of they year party.  But - his teacher is amazing.  She just needs the room moms for Halloween and Valentine's day.  I lucked out!  We made vampire teeth out of cookies and marshmallows.  Teachers don't get paid enough for sure!  Over all - they were a pretty good group of kids.

Look at these cuties! 

Luke was so excited to put on his shirt.  He would carry it around say, "Spoooooky!"

Taylor & Rylee were the cutest witches ever!

Caleb, the Grim Reaper.  He was hard to see once it got dark!

We loaded the kids up and headed to the Freeze's.  Mona tricked the kids and tried to give each one of them a carrot for their treat.  Luke & Lexi took theirs...but the rest of the kids weren't buying it.  She then gave them each a candy corn.  Most of the kids accepted that - except for Caleb.  He was pretty disappointed.  She then gave each of them a big bag of goodies.  They loved it!  I think that Caleb looks like a chimney sweep in the bottom picture.  You can hardly see him in the top one!  His mask made him so dirty. 

We then met Ashley and my parents at my Grandparents house.  If you asked Eva who she was she would say, "Hotel Transylvania".   Grandpa Carlos asked her several times who she was & she answered him everytime...he eventually just looked at me for an explanation.  She is a bat, and Jackson was the cutest wolf ever!