10.23.2011

October is an Exciting Month Around Here!


Dean got to go visit the VVC ducks and geese with Daddy...


Riley got to visit with her cousin Matthew for the first time! He is only 11 days older than her. It was really cute watching them together and seeing how different they both are. Even though they're both so close in age and big kiddos, they're very different otherwise!


Most of the Anderson Family (Ray, Liz, James and our families and Joel and Mom and Dad) went to the pumpkin patch for pictures and fun...some of our favorite finds were a really tiny, perfect pumpkin, and a medium-sized bumpy one; we thought it looked like a brain.



AND RILEY TURNED 6 MONTHS! So we went and took some amateur photos to commemorate this...
















We're so glad we're so close to family for all the holidays again! It's so much fun! We can't wait to post some pictures of the Halloween costumes our kids borrowed to wear, they're so cute.

Also, we were recently called to be Valiant 8 (nine year old class) primary teachers and are working with a bright group of kids. We really enjoyed teaching for our first time today, together, and hope we can do our best with this new calling.

Happy October everyone!

Love,

The James Anderson Family

10.14.2011

Solvang

As previously mentioned, we had the opportunity as a family to take a trip so that James could attend an important interview. Since the interview was taking place in Solvang, CA, close to where Brittany grew up in Lompoc, CA, she knew there would be a lot of family fun to be had there. We all left by 8:00 in the morning and after a few adventures (car-sick Dean twice, getting turned around, and hungry Riley) we finally made it there by about 12:15 in the afternoon. James helped get the kids piled out for a picnic with Brittany, while he went in for his interview. He was inside for at least 45 minutes and came out with a good feeling about how he presented himself. Even if he isn't the right match for their firm because of his own personal goals and dreams, it was a good experience for him. We're so thankful! 

After lunch, we all decided to go down the street to visit some of the down-home family entertainment. Just down the street from the interview we found an apple orchard, pumpkin patches, a mini horse ranch, and an amazing park that looked like a huge Disney Princess castle. We didn't get to enjoy the park this time, but maybe we will be able to another time. We did however love getting out to enjoy the other three places to take pictures. We even let Dean pick out his own pumpkin. He sure had an exciting day! 











After spending some time walking around in the country, we decided to hit the shops before they closed. Solvang is always good for some delicious treats and interesting finds. We saw a horse-drawn trolley, ate one whole Aebleskiver before we were attacked by bees and had to throw the rest away, saw lots of beautiful plants and flowers, watched many people trying to steer their surrey cycles around town, and even stopped for some fudge in-between watching our babies loving all the excitement and attention.   











We then piled in the car to begin the long drive home. Because we had to stop anyway we decided to do it at the Pacific View Mall around dinner time for one last hurrah as the sun was setting over the water. It sure was a perfect day for a trip to Central California! 


Love,

The James Anderson Family


10.09.2011

More September News Coverage

Dean's birthday week consisted of a lot of fun for a newly 2 year old boy. First he was taken to Carls Jr. for a kid's meal birthday lunch. Then, he was treated to a play @ VVC by his Uncle Levi. It was an interactive version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs made especially for children (he loved it!). Next, he got a haircut; and with his birthday party on Saturday his week of events ended pretty nicely. As you can see from the pictures he had a hard time with the haircut, but did really well considering the amount of anxiety he had the whole time. The lady cutting his hair just loved him too, and it was pretty adorable. The last picture is of Dean playing with the TouchPad. He knows how to turn it on, unlock it, pull up apps, and exit from them all by himself just from watching others. He is entertained for hours--just like Daddy! 










Riley is just a sweetie, and everyone wants to love her up. When we went to Carls Jr. we ran into some old friends from a previous ward and the boy who was about 4 years old kept asking to hold her. It was pretty cute. She keeps falling asleep in such endearing positions lately too; such as with her legs in the air, or on her Daddy's chest. She makes the cabbage-patch face and sticks her tongue out now, also. We love it. 







As a family we've been getting through our struggles with as positive an attitude as we can thanks to our sweet kiddos and loving family. We've been so busy with good things, and that keeps us feeling like we're contributing something even though we are still trying to find a place to put down our roots permanently. Our kids, and us, have had bouts of the sickies in the past few weeks, and we are glad we're all feeling better now. We've been having lots of fun appealing for financial aid, dropping classes, trying to get James' internship finished up properly, get our kids medical coverage of some sort, and set up contacts for future employment all at the same time. James has an interview in Solvang that we're planning on going to as a family so we can enjoy the sites there together...hopefully it will be a positive experience all around! However, we've also been able to attend birthday parties for Janine's husband Robert, and another for Brittany's cousin Nicole, recently, and were able to watch General Conference. All have helped keep us focused on what really matters. We are so grateful for all our blessings and have been saying constant prayers that we will be led in the right direction to use the skills we've gained to bless the lives of our children and everyone we love. 

 (this is a leaf-bug that was hanging out on the porch)

(this is the Home Evening chart that Brittany helped make)


We look forward to another post in the near future! 


Love, 


The James Anderson Family