{Lindsay's Wedding}

I am waaaaaay behind on my blogging and it has been driving me crazy. I don't think I have even done Halloween. Do I just skip it? But what about when I print a book? I have to catch up.

Last September my mom and I flew to Washington for my cousin Lindsay's wedding. I forgot my camera charger at home before I realized it wasted some precious shots on my camera on the weirdos in the airport:



After we arrived in Seattle we met my grandparents, rented a car, and drove 2-1/2 hours to Lake Chelan. The drive was beautiful! Lake Chelan in a cute resort town and we had a great time the few days we were there. The wedding was beautiful and I loved having so much time with my Andersen relatives. It was fun to also get to see downtown Seattle, and Pike Place.

My Aunt Jamie had just entered remission after a hard fight with advanced Ovarian Cancer and my Grandpa Andersen had major heart surgery a few months prior so it was so good to see everyone doing better and make lots of fun new memories.

{Random Acts of Kindness}

Two years ago Cody's brother and his wife lost their sweet little girl Devon. My amazing sister-in-law Monica has created a wonderful blog that is a resource for families that have lost children.....it is so incredible. Here is the link:

www.honoringourangels.blogspot.com



She also came up with a sweet idea that honors Devon....she has created these random acts of kindness cards. This way our family can perform random acts of kindness which will help us become more Christ-like and also honor and remember Devon. Our family is so excited and we have already done a few small things and can't wait to do more. On the blog she created there are also cards that have blank spots where you can fill in a different name if you'd like to do service in honor of a loved one you have lost. Spread the word, as many people who want to do this are welcome to! What a great way to start the holiday season by doing service for others.

{Cody's Birthday}

Last month we celebrated Cody's birthday. Cody is NOT an easy person to shop for. He doesn't like me to spend money on him unless I find an amazing deal. He definitely does not have the same expectations for birthday as I do and is so easy to please. Instead of cake we went out for his favorite treat...Baskin Robbins Mink Chocolate Chip Ice Cream. The boys loved getting their sundaes delivered in mini baseball hats.



My parents watched the boys the next weekend so Cody and I could have a night away (I know, as much as a gift to me as it was to Cody!) I planned a trip to Kartchner Caverns, a cave north of Tuscon that Cody has been wanting to go to for a long time. Friday night we stayed at the DoubleTree in Scottsdale and went to dinner, then the next morning we went to breakfast at one of our favorite breakfast places, The Scottsdale Breakfast Club (soooo good). Then we headed South to Tuscon to the Caverns.



Kartchner Caverns are limestone caves that were discovered in 1974. The tour was really fascinating, there are mineral formations that drip down like icicles and also come up from the ground. We had a great time!



Now here are some random facts about Cody.....

*He looooooves ice cream and cereal. He even has special bowls for them, they are extra big. If they are not available he'll use a mixing bowl or some other large bowl

*He is very cheap with his clothing but his weakness is shoes (bought on clearance at DSW of course)

*He is such a slow eater, by the time he's finished I usually have the dishes done.

*He loves to get up early and is usually out the door by 7am. He also is usually asleep on the couch by 9pm

*He has a strange accent when saying a few words....Taco Bell, Root Beer....ask him to say them next time you see him :o)

*He is very clean and I had to learn to become neater and more organized when we were married. I used to fib and tell him it was my roommate's fault that my room was a disaster.....

*When he gets something in his mind he wants to do it right then and can't focus on anything else. That can be good or bad, depending on the circumstance!

*He is very competitive

*He refuses to dress up for Halloween, he won't even wear the fake tattoo sleeves

*He is very picky when it comes to movies, we go see maybe one each year.

*He is great about watching the boys but my leaving comes with a price (two actually). He will either buy the kids ugly clothes or shoes (which they will love and wear every day until they wear out) or he'll buy a freakish amount of cereal. One time he bought 50 boxes. I am not kidding.

*He is an amazing father and husband and we love him lots!!!!

{Twins}

Ethan likes to take Kade up to his room and dress him in Rhett's clothes. Then they come downstairs and pretend like they are twins. It's cute. They even get matching shoes, belts, etc.



Ethan and Rhett comb their hair....and each have their own style. Rhett slicks down the top and combs it all forward (unfortunately I don't have a picture). Ethan uses a LOT of gel and also likes to spike up the front. I had to take pictures so I could look back and laugh in a few years. Ethan spends a lot of time making it just right. They make me laugh...

{Football}

Rhett and Ethan just finished their first flag football season. They had so much fun and learned a lot. Ethan says this is his favorite sport now....and Rhett enjoyed it but still loved baseball the most!







Kade was their #1 Fan!



After the last game the boys got little trophys and had fun playing in the bounce houses.



Here are a few random pictures.....Ethan below with one of his bike tricks....he makes me laugh because he's trying to look cool and not smile.... :o)



My cute little men all dressed up for church.....I love these boys!!!

{Cute Kade}

The other morning as I was packing the boy's lunches for school I heard Kade calling for me. I couldn't find him...until I went into the bathroom and found him stuck in the doggie door. What a stinker!! My camera was close so I had to take some pictures. Luckily it wasn't too hard to pull him out!



Kade was so excited to me chosen as the "Star Student" at his preschool. Rhett filled out his poster for him and we had to laugh when Kade answered what he wants to be when he grows up....a dump truck.



Everytime Kade sees me cooking he starts pushing a chair over so he can get in on the action. He'll ask me "Can I be your little chef?" Who could say no to that? Even though it sure makes things messier I love cooking with Kade and seeing how happy he is to lick the spoon when we are finished.

{Kade's 4th Birthday!}

Kade celebrated his fourth birthday a few weeks ago! I love the countdown to birthdays that my children do when it starts getting close....they get so excited even if it's their brother's birthday coming up and not their own. There are high expectations, and birthday rules that Rhett is quick to enforce. I love it!

What a year it has been for Kade - turning from 3 to 4, and how much he has gone through. I almost can't talk about it, it's hard. I know people wonder how he's doing though, and I am happpy to say that he is doing wonderful. He takes two different medications in the morning and at night, and they are pretty powerful but they have been working great so far and his neurologist from where he was in Januarty to where he is now is the best case scenario. Of course we have times when we think ahead, become worried, and think things won't always be going so well, but we try not to and just try to focus on how great he's doing right now.

I kept Kade's birthday party this year very small, and he choose two friends to come with him for lunch at McDonalds. Yes I do know how to throw a high class party :o) They enjoyed their happy meals and chocolate sundaes, and off course burning some energy in the play area. Rhett and Ethan begged to come along too so we picked them up early from school and they had fun as well. In fact, Ethan wanted to come so badly that he devised a little plan that morning to fake a fever so he could stay home from school. He asked me if his forehead was warm, and it was, but I knew something was up. So I watched him, and a few minutes later I peeked at him in the backyard, pushing his forehead up against the slide (which gets warm in the sun). Busted!







Kade also got to take treats to preschool, and came home with this birthday crown which he wore with pride. When we asked him what he wanted for his birthday dinner, he said pancakes. We asked what toys he wanted, and got the same reply: pancakes. Well we did buy him some toys, but we had a big breakfast for dinner that night and he was happy. He is easy to please!





We love Kade, life would not be nearly as exciting without him! Here are some fun facts about Kade:

*He pronounces girl and "grill" and it always makes us laugh
*He is tall and is getting hard for me to pick up, 97% weight, 95% height
*He LOVES to eat and is not picky!
*He loves to strike a pose for pictures and squint his eyes
*He has an obsession for gum, he'll ask strangers if they have any
*He loves Little Critter books, I read him one every day before his nap
*He also loves Dora
*He is very snuggly, I love that!
*He is always trying to do whatever his big brothers are doing, he idolizes them
*We have a lot of nicknames for him, don't know where they came from but the one we call him most is Kashie.

We love you Kade!!!!!

{Flashback Friday}

Since Kade's birthday is two days away I thought for this Flashback Friday I'd post a picture four years ago when he was born......time has gone by so fast yet it's hard to remember life without him! He is our little entertainer and adds so much fun to our lives!

{Rhett's 9th Birthday}

Rhett turned 9 this month, and as it is for all children the day was greatly anticipated! He had everything planned out on paper....and took great care to plan his party and keep lots of lists so we would stay organized :o) We let the kids open their presents right when they wake up in the morning so Daddy can be there too before he leaves for work.



Rhett was happy to receive some star wars legos, two diamondbacks shirts, and a cool new bike. Ethan was quick to remember the tradition of birthday spanks.

Next we went swimming at Grandma and Grandpa Flake's house.



The highlight of Rhett's day was when Grandpa took him and Ethan to a Diamondbacks game. If you have been around Rhett lately you know he is *obsessed* with baseball and especially the Diamondbacks. He will talk you ear off about player stats, games, etc! They had a great time.



When they came back we came to our house and played baseball at the park across the street and Rhett tried out his new bike.



For dinner Rhett requested Roasted Tomato Soup (funny, huh?) and Chocolate Fudge Cake. The first cake picture is from a few days prior when Aunt Brittany spoiled him and made him a cake before she left for BYU-I.



A few days after his birthday Rhett had his party. We went to see Despicable Me at the drive-in, and the kids had a great time. I am so glad that he has so many good friends, they were all so well behaved and fun to be around.



There are so many things we love about Rhett
*he is so thoughtful
*he tries hard to choose the right
*he is a good example to his younger brothers
*he is a great friend
*he wants to be a professional baseball player
*teachers love him because he tries so hard to be good
*he LOVES cub scouts
*he also loves Star Wars
*he shares his Dad's passion for cereal and ice cream

We LOVE you Rhett!!!

{Summer Catch Up}

I have a bunch of random pictures I am going to throw together in this post...and then I will be caught up...almost!!

We love summer storms, and after the hail stopped Ethan and Kade ran outside to enjoy playing in the rain. Then we jumped on our bikes and rode to the park in the rain....not very practical but we had a great time!!



Our ward camp-out was lots of fun....so I heard! I stayed home this year and had some girl time with Chloe while Cody bravely took our three boys + Mason (we had Mason and Chloe for the weekend). They came home dirty but had such a great time!!



Can you tell we are getting a little attached to Socks??



Cody has been wanting to get one of these for months...I have resisted because I am afraid of broken windows and lights. Now that we have it I will concede and admit that Cody was right....it is a lot of fun!



The boys all started school in August! Rhett is in the 3rd grade and has the same teacher as last year, Ms. Malasnik. She moved up a grade and took her whole class with her. Rhett is lucky, she is an amazing teacher who really cares about each of her students. Ethan is in 1st grade, and has Mrs. Encarnacion. She was Rhett's Kindergarten teacher, and she rocks too! She pushes her class and I know Ethan will learn a lot this year! Kade is in preschool and goes four times a week for 2-1/2 hours. I am going to school full time so that helps to be able to do schoolwork during the day instead of just at night. Kade's favorite part about school is riding bikes outside and of course snack time :o)



Kade and I have lots of fun together while the older boys are at school all day. He is always keeping me laughing with his expressions and funny things he does. He is always telling me "Mom take a picture!"



A couple weekends ago Grandma and Grandpa Ashton came into town for Mason's baptism. It was a special weekend and we had a great time being together.

{Snowflake}

When I was growing up my favorite place to visit was Snowflake, and I love how the tradition has carried on and my boys love it too. We always talk about heading up there for the weekend but with sports and Cody's busy job we don't make it happen. We ALWAYS make time for going up for the Pioneer Celebration though, and look forward to it all summer long. The picture above of the road leading to my Grandparent's home makes me excited just to look at....there is nothing like going to Grandma's house! White picket fences, big red barn, swinging from the tree branches, horses, frogs, snakes, all you can eat snow-cones thanks to the new fun machine, and dozens of cousins makes this the best vacation ever for little boys and their mom too :o)



The boys always love holding the kittens, and have no fear when it comes to catching snakes that they find slithering across the grass. Jon and Cody took them "froggin'" one night and they were proud to show the frogs they caught.



Uncle Scott hosted our big bunch over at his house for a BBQ and basketball. I love catching up with all my aunt and uncles, we all live in Arizona but only get together a few times a year.



The Lance Flake Golf Tournament was fun also, my cousin Lance passed away four years ago and we always remember how passionate he was about sports.





Four Wheeler rides are all my boys want to do and Rhett and Ethan felt pretty cool giving Mom a ride (and some scares!)



Keaton and Uncle Scott saddled up their miniature ponies and the kids loved to ride them around the lawn.



The parade is always fun too, Rhett and Ethan rode on my Grandma's float with their cousins and Kade had a great time catching candy and cheering for the floats. We had a great time and can't wait to go back soon!!