Merry Christmas

ANDERSON'S 2010

Hello family and friends.

Wow I can't believe it is time to write this letter again. Seems that time is flying by.

We have been very busy this year. In May we moved from Tacoma to Bellevue to be closer to James work. He was commuting about 100 miles a day and it was wearing him out. We miss our friends in Tacoma but are settling into our new life here.

James is still taking classes at ITT and is very excited to be done in the spring. He is currently taking classes in web development, this is something he really enjoys and hopes to make this his career.

Anthony is twelve and is doing very well. He is currently staying the school year with his dad in Colorado but we see him at holidays and summer. We are very excited to see him for Christmas in a couple weeks.

Richard (AKA Gohan)is nine and is doing pretty well in school. When we moved we decided with Gohan that maybe it would be easier if we changed his name. He was getting teased a lot at school and was very excited to have this change. It was hard at first but we are all getting used to calling him Richard.

Ethan is doing very well this year and has made lots of new friends at school. He is working really hard at reading and has improved a lot since last year.

Kahlan is 3 this year and has found her voice. She is very opinionated and definitely my little girl. We are enjoying painting nails and all the other stuff that comes with girls..

Elijah is 1 and is learning everything very fast. It seems that he watches his siblings and tries to do whatever they are doing. He is climbing on everything like crazy.

I love that all my kids are such different little people but get along pretty well.

As for me I am staying busy with my kids nothing has changed much. I am still staying at home with them and mostly loving it. It is so nice to be able to watch all the milestones. We make a lot of sacrifices so I can but I still think that it is the best thing for my family.

We love you all and pray that your holiday season is full of laughter and fun.

Love,

James, Tish, Anthony, Richard, Ethan, Kahlan, and Elijah

grateful

I am grateful for those who aren't afraid to bear their testimony about their beliefs, struggles and joys.. You never know who you are going to touch..

I am grateful for the telephone. Without it I wouldn't be able to keep in touch with my family and friends as easily.

Kahlan

I am grateful for Kahlan.(My KK). I really thought that I would never have a little girl and then she came along and she is wonderful. She can make me smile and laugh even when I want to scream. She is smart and caring. She loves to tease. She is a good big sister to Elijah even if she is a little too bossy at times. Okay a lot too bossy. ;)I love her curious nature and sweetness. She has so many questions and it is said that I used to be just like her or is she just like me?

house

I am grateful for our home. As small and crowded as it is, it works for us. We are close to a great park and the school is good.

Today I am grateful that I get to teach in Relief Society.(our church)

I am so nervous,and don't want to do it but every time I walk away amazed at the sisters in the class and fulfilled. I learn so much when I teach.

12/13 grateful

For music. It lifts my spirits. It's almost time for Christmas music!!!!

I am grateful for laughter. Laughter lifts my spirits every time

Honesty(day 11)

As children we are taught to always be honest, then we are taught what is correct to say and what isn't, then we are in a tight spot because we have been taught that we need to be honest but sometimes honesty sucks.. Sometimes honesty hurts. It sometimes makes us feel bad, but sometimes it is exactly what we need to give us that Ah hah moment. You know the one where you realize that thing you need to change. I won't lie, I have had times in my life that I haven't been completely honest but I have always been grateful to those who have been to me.

day ten

I am grateful for the family(wives, husbands, children, brothers, sisters, parents, and anyone else I may have forgotten) of the military men and women. These folks sacrifice a lot to support their loved ones. So THANK YOU!!!

kids papers

So I am curious to know what things you keep from your children. I am going through some of my stuff and it seems like I keep way too much. ( I usually keep anything that tugs at my heart strings) And how do you organize all this stuff. I would be grateful for any ideas..

kind words

I am grateful for kind words. Kind words help people feel loved. Help children learn to be kind and just plain make us feel better when we use them..

Today I am grateful for Richard. He tries very hard. He is a good big brother and he likes to help me cook. He cooked pancakes this morning for breakfast. He thought Kahlan and I needed some. It was so sweet. Oh in case we haven't shared with you, Gohan is now going by Richard.

grateful

I am grateful for the Sunshine. It makes me feel so much better when I look outside and see the sun shining.

Day 6

I am grateful for all the men and women who are serving or have served in the military. I know the sacrifice you have taken on and it is greatly appreciated.

day 5

Today I am grateful for my car.. It would not be fun to have to walk where I needed to go with all these kiddos in the rain...

job

I am grateful that in this economy my husband still has a job. What a blessing it is.

Mothers

I am grateful for the women I have or had in my life. My mom, mother in law, grandmothers, aunts, friends, and all the other women I have learned from and admired. From these women I have learned how to mother my own children. I learned the importance of family. I have watched them in the struggles in their lives and learned how to be strong and keep going no matter what. I have learned to love and be kind and treasure the small moments. Thank you all..

day 2

I am grateful for my sweet husband. He works so hard to make it possible for me to stay home.. I am grateful that he truly knows, understands and accepts me.. He makes me laugh.. He is a wonderful father and the kids adore him. He cooks, cleans and helps with the kids.. He knows the value of education and works hard to get it. He loves the gospel and wants nothing less than eternity with me and our family. Crazy as it is.:)

More halloween pictures

I love my kids..

I added one with Ethan and Kahlan because I love the way he helps her so much. He is a wonderful big brother. I love Richards playful spirit...Kahlan's joking nature.. Elijah's sweet spirit. Anthony's teaching nature.. All so different but together we make a wonderful family...

Gratitude

A friend of mine commented to me the other day that I never update my blog.. :( So I am going to try to be better at that... I was reading somebody's blog today and they are taking a challenge to write something they are grateful for everyday for the month of November. I've decided to do this also. I can't promise it will be everyday but I will do my best.. So here's today's: I am extremely grateful to be a mother. It is so hard some days that I just want to pull my hair out but at the end of the day when we say prayers and I get their sweet kisses and hugs it makes the long day worth it.

For Halloween this year we had lots of fun. We went to a party at the cousins and we crashed the ward party of our old ward. We had lots of fun seeing our old friends. Then of course we went trick 'or'treating and had a blast and had too much candy.. Kahlan was a princess dinosaur. Elijah was a dinosaur and got the growling part down very quickly. Ethan was Venom from Spider Man and Richard was a Bey Blader, (it is the latest greatest thing for 9 year old boys) I don't have a picture of Anthony dressed up as he is at his dads but I am sure he had a great time.. The one is from this summer and the boys birthday party..

New Beginnings

Well It's been busy around here lately. For those of you that don't know we've moved to Bellevue. It is closer to James work. If you don't know James was commuting about 70 miles a day in horrible traffic. I can see how that would get old. We are also enjoying being closer to Molly (james sister)and her family. It is good for the kids to be around their cousins.

We have been to our new ward and enjoyed it. We have already met the bishopric and they have said that it won't be long before they have callings for us. No rest for the weary :) Just kidding we love having callings. It keeps us busy and steadfast... The kids have adjusted really well to their new school. They have made new friends and like their new teachers.

update

Been pretty busy around here, Kahlan and Elijah managed to pick up an awful cold that quarantined us to the house for a week . While I went stir crazy, Kahlan enjoyed lots of Dora. Kahlan is very into saying prayers now. She likes to pray for her friends and if we forget she will interrupt us and make sure we remember. This was our prayer one night. "Please bless Grandma Lula, Grandma Karapoo.." (her name is Karalue) We all cracked up and barely finished the prayer. It is so fun to have a girl... I love my boys and they are fun also but girls are fun in a different way!!!
Elijah is crawling everywhere now. He is constantly into everything and keeps me on my toes. He is a joy though, he has this smile when he looks up at me that melts my heart. The boys are doing pretty well in school. Gohan is involved in a "mad science class after school on Mondays and absolutely loves it. Ethan is learning a lot and looking forward to his field trip to the flight museum at the end of the month. Sorry there are no pictures. Kahlan dropped my camera and broke it. We haven't replaced it yet.