March 2014

Happy Spring and Daylight Savings!  

Easton started private speech therapy this month.  He is working with a great speech therapist from church. Her name is Amy, and Easton seems to really like her.  The first few meetings were heavy on play so she could hear how he says, or doesn't say, certain things.  Easton did not mind that. After she learned what she needed to know, it became a bit more focused for Easton.  He gets to play, but he also has to look at Amy's face, watch himself in a mirror and take homework with him. Easton will gladly repeat anything she wants, but he has a very hard time looking at her, going slow with his speech and actually watching what is done in the mirror.  There are so many toys and games in the room.  He just wants to play.  Amy is very confident Easton will be all caught up by the time he starts Kindergarten.  That is our wish too, if not sooner.  

Kyla wrapped up indoor soccer just in time to start the spring session of outdoor soccer.  For now, the girls are just practicing.  It will be nice to see if all the indoor games will help them?  We cannot wait to see how Sugar & Spice do this season!

Kyla and her Girl Scout troop were busying selling cookies for the past month.  Kyla sold almost 100 boxes, and the troop made just over $1,000.  Some of that money will be going towards a pet rescue place the troop adopted at the start of the school year.  Another portion will be going towards an afternoon/evening at the Denver Zoo. The girls are super proud of their efforts and are looking forward to and end up the year party.  

Spring conferences took place this month.  We met with Kyla's teacher for about a half hour.  She told us Kyla has made a lot of progress over the past few months.  We were excited to see how much she has learned and how things have improved with time.  Her handwriting has gotten a lot better, she can learn to read new sight words quickly and is getting better every day with her math skills.  It's hard to believe we will have a second grader in two short months.  

Once again, the kids devised a trap for a leprechaun.  The used decorations, rainbows, shamrocks and Lego food/boxes to lure him into the trap.  Though they did not catch him, he did leave them some chocolate gold coins.  Better luck next year kiddos!  

The kids had spring break this month.  It was very low-key for both of them.  We made a trip to Chuck E. Cheese and arranged many play dates.  If only every day could be that simple and fun for everyone.  

On an extremely sad note, we must mention Grandma Louise went to Heaven this month.  She passed peacefully and naturally with her daughters and grandchildren by her side.  Words cannot express how much she will be missed by all of us.  Nothing beat the pure look of joy on her face when she'd spot us standing in the doorway at the nursing home.  She was a fantastic grandma and great-grandma.  She taught us so much over the years about life, love, happiness and the Lord. She was 102 years old when she passed and that is no small feat these days.  Rest in peace, Grandma (3/4/2014).  You are forever in our hearts and minds.


  

February 2014

Happy February and Valentine's Day to all of you.

This was another popular month for birthdays.  Not so much within our family, but a lot of the kids' friends had birthday parties.  Between Kyla and Easton, they went to five parties this month. Wish our social calendar was that full with birthday celebrations.  Suppose that is yet another reason to enjoy childhood.

Both kids had school parties for Valentine's Day.  Easton's parties go off without a hitch. Probably because there are several parents there and only ten kiddos.  Wish the same could be said for Kyla's school parties. For Kyla's party, the kids had to put gloves on and unwrap a piece of candy. Doesn't sound too bad, right? Well, the candy happened to be chocolate.  So after a few minutes of being held, the chocolate was a melted mess.  Two kids played the game at the same time, so it was a miracle the kids at the end of the line were able to unwrap their near-liquid piece of candy. If there ever is a next time for that game, it will have to be specified that the candy will need to melt in your mouth, not in your hand.  

For the holiday, we celebrated as a family.  The kids each got a little gift and we took them out to dinner.  It was low key, but after two parties on the same day, it's all we needed to round out the day.

Kyla's class has been learning a lot about the founding fathers of our country and the presidents. Namely, Lincoln and Washington.  That being said, Kyla makes it seem as if she has a crush on George W. George Washington, that is.  She wants to read about him, visit places named after him, go to Mount Rushmore, see his old teeth (dentures) and kiss him.  We shall see how long this fascination of George lasts?Maybe she will end up enjoying history as much as Dad?    

Indoor soccer is still going strong.  Kyla is playing with the boys (some of the kids from Easton's outdoor team) and the girls.  She has been in the top of the leader board for goals on the boys team. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the girls team.  The girls are playing against all boys, and for the most part, the boys are all older and faster.  Irregardless of goals scored, it is great practice and for them.  It wouldn't be much of a learning experience if it was easy for them. The girls took first place in the last session, so it made sense to play up a level this time around.  

Easton is doing great.  He will start private speech therapy lessons next month with a highly recommended lady from our church.  Her name is Miss Amy (Antinoro), and she will be working with Easton every week for one half-hour.  He is getting much better with speech and his vocabulary has increased ten-fold over the past year.  However, we want him to be all caught up with understandable speech (meaning a stranger could understand all his says) by the time he starts Kindergarten. 

Other than the aforementioned things, our month has been fairly laid back.  We hope you are all doing well. We are looking forward to spring and some warmer weather.  We imagine you are also. God Bless.   

January 2014

Happy New Year!  Life certainly has its ups and downs for everyone, but we truly hope this new year provides you all with more ups than downs and more smiles than frowns.

January is our busiest birthday month.  Grandma Irene, Michelle, Easton, Grandma Louise, and Dad all have birthdays this month.  So we'd like to give a huge shout out to all of you and wish you the best birthday yet.

Easton had a full day celebrating his birthday.  He started off with special treats at pre-school to celebrate, moved on to toy shopping at Timbuck Toys and Toys R'Us (they always send the kids out free birthday money from both) and ended the day with a rockin' party at the place of his choice, Chuck E Cheese.  He had a special day and loved every minute of it all.  Chuck E Cheese was his favorite.  He grinned ear-to-ear the entire time.  Well almost the entire time.  He didn't like the ticket blaster there, so Kyla went in and finished up the time for him.  What a great big sister she is.  And even though it will be years before Easton reads any of this himself, we'd like for him to know how much we love and cherish every day with him.  He is our smart, little man and we cannot wait to see what this fourth year brings for him.  Primarily potty training!  

Easton went for his four year check up, and (drum roll please) he is topping the charts once again. He is staying on his curve, which thankfully is actually on (not off) the chart.  He tops off around the 3% for weight and is almost to the 10% for height. Wohoo!  Baby steps folks.  Baby steps. The doctor said it is not at all uncommon for four year old boys to not be potty trained yet. Offering Easton an iPad wasn't enough to do the trick for him, so hopefully we can figure out some other sort of incentive and soon!

Kyla is doing another session of both the Young Rembrandts art class and indoor soccer.  Soccer will run until March when the outdoor spring session starts up again.  The girls are playing up a level this time, so they will only be competing against boys.  They may not win as many games, but they will get some great practice by doing this.  Hopefully they are well oiled machines by the time games start up in April.

We went to Michigan to visit family this month.  Grandma Louise turned 102, so we wanted to be there to celebrate the special day with her.  We were a week late to the actually party, but we celebrated with cake, balloons and presents.  In fact, Grandma has three birthday celebrations this year.  One each weekend for three weeks.  That is more than any of us get.  It was super cold while we were there, but thankfully the polar vortex, as they are calling it, took a break allowing it to warm up to nearly 20 every day we were there.  

The month wrapped up with a Western Day Lunch at Easton's pre-school.  The kids get to have lunch together upstairs in the community room.  A story teller comes in and tales them tales about life in the Wild West.  They listen to stories, sing, dance and enjoy a campfire meal in tin plates. Easton had a lot of fun. He did a little square dancing with a girl from another class and she couldn't keep her hands off of him.  She hugged him, held his hand and tried to put him in her lap. It was very entertaining.  

Until next time, we bid you adieu!

December 2013

Merry Christmas to all!

Art class and indoor soccer are both going strong for Kyla.  She really enjoys doing both.  Sure, there is some complaining about how much she has to run during soccer and a lot of talk about how sweaty she is, but she has fun and enjoys scoring goals.  When she scores, she walks away with her head held high as if it's as simple for her as breathing.  Art class is fun because a good friend from her class takes it too.  They enjoy doing it together.  

We had our annual Double-Date night at the Melting Pot again this year.  However, we invited a second couple to join us this time.  Drew and Anna Hanna (yes that is her legal name) had never been before, so we invited them to join us and the Kruglet's for a night out.  And to make it that much more exciting for the Hanna's, we felt it only right to make the evening tacky-Christmas-sweater/apparel night.  To be honest, I think many of the patrons there were jealous they didn't dine out wearing only the finest Christmas shirts and accessories found only at Goodwill.  

The holiday shop for the kids took place at the start of the month.  The Kruglet's enjoy the shopping trip as much as we do.  You just never know what the kids are going to find at the church shop.  Past seasons have included tire gauges, flashlights, holiday broaches and stuffed animals in the form of Shrek.  Of course, there is no guarantee anything you receive will actually work or operate for long, so it is always important to remember "It's the thought that counts!" Truth be told though, they are our favorite presents to open each and every year.

Easton's school had their annual Christmas program.  He was in seventh heaven.  The kids started practicing the songs last month, so they all seemed pretty eager to belt out the lyrics to some of the most popular Christmas carols.  Easton loves to sing and dance, so he gave it everything he had.  His hand motions were spot on and his singing was just beautiful.    

Both kids had class parties for the holiday and both seemed to have a great time.  Easton's class made reindeer fingerprint ornaments as a keepsake and Kyla's class covered pine cones with pom poms.  They both turned out fantastic and will indeed be used for many years to come on our tree.  

Sadly, Kyla started off her winter break sick.  She caught a stomach bug and spent the first few days feeling less than her normal, happy self.  No one else caught it, which was nice.  However, Scott and I both had one of the worst colds ever.  And, they both started while were in Minnesota visiting our family for Christmas. From the sounds of it, only one other person got sick while we were visiting, so there is a plus side to this, right?  

Oh wait, of course there is a plus side to things.  On top of it being Christmas and winter break, Michelle and Tim had their first baby.  Avery Taylor made her introduction to the world on December 22nd!  She came a few weeks early, but it could not have worked out better because everyone was home to meet her.  We were able to visit her at the hospital and introduce ourselves to her.  We could not be any happier for the proud parents and cannot wait to make many new memories.  

We sincerely hope you all had a blessed holiday.  Jesus is the reason for the season, but it's also a great time of year to spend with family and create new and lasting memories with the ones we love the most.  Tune in next year for more on the Anderson Family.

November 2013

Gosh.  How is it November already?  Where does the time go?  Did you remember to set your clocks back?  Spring ahead and fall behind.  Wonder what year it will be when "they" decide to do away with changing the clocks?  Anyhow...

Easton's pre-school held their first Super Dad Day this month!  Easton was able to show Dad all around his classroom, sing, dance and pray with Scott. It was a fun hour for both of them.

Kyla had her last soccer game of the season.  She did awesome, as usual.  She is getting better and better with every season.  Plus, many of the girls are signed up to play indoor 3-vs-3 soccer, so they should be really good when the spring session starts up in March.

Kyla is signed up for an after school art class called Young Rembrandts.  It will go until school lets out next month for winter break.  She's only attended three classes so far, but her artwork is incredible.  The class takes them step-through-step on how to make the assigned picture.  She does a great job.  Much better than the rest of us could do.  That's for sure!

Many reasons to celebrate this month.  Our dearest little friend, Lilliana, turned four, while Scott and I are holding steady at 30.  There was Veteran's Day too, so we said a prayer for all of the men and women currently serving and fighting for our everyday freedoms.  We also talked about the heroes who fought before our time.  Their service and commitment allow us to go about our daily lives, so it is nice to have a day to remind us, yet again, to be thankful for America and the freedom we have here in our country.

As was mentioned earlier, Kyla and some of the girls started playing indoor soccer.  It's a lot harder with only three girls out there at a time.  There is a lot of running, the rules are different for scoring and the ball always seems to find a way to just wind itself around the edge of the playing field.  The girls are getting a workout in and will hopefully be that much better in the spring.  Kyla scored the very first goal of the indoor season.  We were super proud of her.  Go...Kyla!

Both Easton and Kylas' schools had turkey lunches for the parents.  Scott wasn't able to attend either due to work, but Mom made it.  At Eastons' school there was a show and some songs and prayer before lunch. Kyla just had lunch, and surprisingly, her school lunch was way better than the food served at the pre-school. But shh, don't tell them I said that.  

Thanksgiving was low key around here.  As is always the case, we spent all day cooking.  If only the time eating the meal was equivalent to the amount of time spent preparing everything.  Sometimes it is hard to justify all that time for 15 minutes at the table.  Oh wait, we have days worth of leftovers, so it is all good.  

We are all decorated for Christmas.  We have two trees up this year.  One in both of the living rooms. When we are done this year, we are just going to carry the trees down in sections, reassemble them and keep them covered until next year.  That way, we are hoping there is a lot less fluffing involved.  No one likes that job. As we often hear, "ain't nobody got time for that!"  

We hope all of you reading this had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  We also hope you were able to spend some time with loved ones and friends.  Though we do not need a holiday to stop and reflect on the many, many things we are thankful for, it is always nice do so surrounded by good food and great people.