{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!!!!!