October 2009

October 19th
Fall is definitely in the air! We've had some warm weather these past few days, but October has been cold this year. We even saw snow a week and a half ago. We certainly don't mind the cooler weather, but Kyla is the only one excited about the snow.

Kyla is taking a new class this month called Two Times the Fun. She goes into a classroom once a week for an hour all by herself. She really seems to be enjoying her time there. They sing songs, play and make some fun Halloween projects to bring home. Kyla likes to see them all hanging on the fridge. She is really into "pumpies" (pumpkins), as she calls them.

Auntie Michelle and Tim visited this past weekend. Kyla really enjoyed spending time with them. She had a blast calling out their names around the house. Plus, she always finds it fun to have someone new to play with throughout the day. Needless to say, she was sad to see them leave. We are all hoping they come back and visit soon.

Scott's softball team did not do so well for fall ball. We are all hoping next year brings some first place finishes for him and the team.

We have some fun Halloween activities coming up. This Friday we are going to another local recreation center for their Spooktacular event. On Monday, Kyla gets to dress up for her two year old class and go trick-or-treating around the recreation center. And then, on Halloween day, she gets to collect candy at Trick-or-Treat Street. Halloween night will be fun too, as she is getting together with her friends for a pot-luck dinner and some more trick-or-treating. The next few weeks are sure to be a lot of fun for everyone.

September 2009

September 21st
Kyla had a great second birthday party. It was a Little Miss Birthday theme. She loved the cake and balloons. It was also fun for her to open presents and spend time with her closest friends. Thanks to everyone for making it such a special day, despite the cooler, rainy weather.

Grandma and Grandpa came to visit for Kyla's birthday party weekend. She had a blast racing cars, playing with balloons, going bowling, getting ice cream and relaxing at home with them. She can't wait for Grandpa and Grandma to come back and visit again.

While Grandpa and Grandma were visiting, we decided to take Kyla bowling for the first time. She loved pushing the ball down the ramp and watching it hit the pins. After the first three frames though, she just wanted to run around and play. Gotta love the attention span of a two year old.

Over the past weekend, we took Kyla to the Highlands Ranch Oktober Fest. Her favorite part was getting a free balloon and dancing to the music. There was a padded area for the little kids to run and jump on. She found that to be very exciting too. Maybe next year she can jam with the band and enjoy some of the yummy German foods.

Highlands Ranch days were a week or so ago. Kyla went there with her friend, Alex. They had fun petting all the animals there. There were turtles, ducks, ponies, lambs, donkeys, and a camel. They also got to go on a hayride and make a craft. There was a 4H booth there, and they were doing tattoos. Kyla had to show hers off to everyone she passed that day.

September 6th
Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday, Dear Kyla. Happy Birthday to you! We can't believe you are two today. The time has gone by way too fast over these past couple of years. It's a pleasure and privilege to watch you grow and learn new things. We wish you a lifetime of happiness.

Mommy and Daddy took Kyla out to lunch for pizza and garlic knots. The garlic knots are one of her favorite foods right now. After lunch, we came home and had some raspberry lemonade cake. It was yummy. Daddy did a good job baking it.

Kyla and Mommy just got back yesterday from Michigan. Kyla did very well on the plane rides. Wish I could say the same about the drives to and from the airport. As she put it, she was "all done" before we even started. She had fun visiting Grammy and Great Grammy though. She got to open birthday presents, visit with family, play at the park, go to Bronner's/Frankenmuth and eat a ton of junk food. Aside from a little mac-n-cheese, she mainly lived off of fruit snacks, suckers and chips for the entire trip. She clearly has her mother's appetite.

Scott's softball team tied for third place for the summer league. Fall ball is underway now. A first place finish does not seem possible at this time, but maybe we can hope for second.

I am 18 weeks along now, and the morning sickness does not seem to be getting any better yet. Some days are better than others, but I still don't feel anything like my normal self.

We get to find out on the 16th if we are having a girl or a boy. We will share that news as we find out ourselves. Kyla also goes in for her two year visit the day before that, so hopefully she gets a good report too.

Kyla's birthday party is this Saturday, so we are excited about that. If you mention the word "birthday," Kyla immediately says "cake." Right now, the cake is the best part. Grandma and Grandpa are flying in to celebrate, so Kyla will most certainly have a good time this weekend.

August 2009

August 20th
It was an exciting day in the Anderson home today. Kyla went pee-pee in her potty for the first time!! Yay, Kyla. Normally, she just sits on the potty and acts like she peed. She loves sitting on it though. Sometimes she even picks out a magazine to look at while sitting there. She also loves using the toilet paper to wipe herself off; even when she hasn't done anything.

Kyla and I will be flying to MI next month to see Grammy and Great-Grammy. We are both very excited and hope to have some good stories to share with y'all in a few weeks.

It's hard to believe Kyla will turn two in two weeks. It's truly amazing how fast time goes by once you have children. We will celebrate as a family on her birthday, and then she will have a "Little Miss Birthday" party the following weekend. It will be fun to see her open presents. Whenever you mention the word "birthday," she automatically says "cake." She'd probably love nothing more than to open every present and find a cake inside of it.

Scott's softball team will not be taking first place this year. However, fall ball starts in a week, so maybe they can pull off a victory in that league. Either way, we are still rooting on the Trojans.

Kyla seems fairly excited about having a baby. She now thinks there is a baby growing behind everyone's belly button. :-) We will see how she does when he or she comes into this world. We know it will be an adjustment, but we also know she will make a great big sister. We can't wait for her to meet her baby sister or brother. On September 16th, we will hopefully know if it will be a baby boy or girl.

July 2009

It's been awhile since the post, and we hope everyone had a safe and fun Fourth of July. We spent ours in Hackensack, MN. It was a lot of fun. We played in the sand, went for some boat rides, fished and played some games. It was great spending a week with the family. We don't get to do that too often.

Kyla made a great little fisherwoman. She LOVED the minnows. She just wanted to hold them and carry them around with her at all times. A few even got a kiss or two. And when the minnows were used to catch big fish, she got really excited. If only Mommy could touch and hold the fish like Kyla.

We've spent a lot of time at the pool this month. Hopefully August will be just as warm, so we can get some more pool-time in before it closes.

Ace and Grace both had birthday parties over the past month. Kyla really enjoyed going to those. Watching them open their presents was the best part of each party. Eating cake and ice cream was awfully fun too.

June 2009

June 25th

Kyla has had a fun and busy month. She's been going to tumbling, getting together with friends for play-dates, swimming in the kiddie pool, splashing in fountains, chasing the dogs and exploring around the house. Every day is a new adventure for her. Lately, she really enjoys chasing ants around the patio and saying "HI" to them.

We all leave to visit the Anderson clan at the new lake house on Monday. The new house is on a crystal clear lake in Hackensack, MN. It should be a lot of fun. Plus, we will get to see many family members we have not seen since Christmas. We just hope the bugs will be kind to us.

We all had fun celebrating Father's Day this year. Kyla got Daddy an apron for grilling and a grill alert meat thermometer. Neil, Heidi and Grace came over for lunch too. After napping and watching some golf on TV, we all went up to the driving range to hit some golf balls. Kyla did her best to yell and throw off the other golfers "game."

June 4th

Grammy came to visit for six days at the end of May. It sure was nice having her around. We definitely don't get to see her as often as we would like.

Scott hasn't been able to play softball the past two weeks due to the weather. He is definitely hoping the rain holds off on Tuesday's for the rest of the season.

Other than that, there is not a ton of new news to report. We've had a lot of rain, which stinks, but everything is super green out here. Greener than usual, anyway. It almost looks like home right now.

May 2009

May 19th
Aunt Michelle came to visit for the weekend, and we all had lots of fun. Kyla did her best to say "Michelle." I believe we heard it once or twice. Harley loved Michelle too. She couldn't get enough of her. After she left, both Kyla and Harley took turns going into the guest bedroom to see if she was there. Unfortunately, she was not there. However, we all look forward to spending more time with Aunt Michelle in July when we will all be up at the lake house in Northern Minnesota together.

Grammy is coming for a visit tomorrow. She will be here for six days, so I am sure Kyla and Harley will have a good time. Kyla really seems to enjoy having guests in the house. Apparently, it gives her a good reason to show off.

Scott's softball team is off to a good start. Hopefully they keep up their winning streak. Go, Trojans!!

May 3rd
Now that it is May, we are hoping our (snow) showers are behind us. Even though we did not get much snow this winter, it's definitely no fun to get dumped on several times at the start of spring. We are all looking forward to warm, sunny and windless days.

Ryder had his annual vet check-up last week, and his heart mumur has progressed. He has to go back in a few weeks for some x-rays of his heart. The doctors will be looking to see how much blood is leaking back into the lungs and how much the heart/chambers expand when he breathes in and out. We are praying for the best report possible. He's only six, and we know he has many good years ahead of him still.

Harley is doing fine. She is still a spaz. She only sits still when she is sleeping. If she isn't bothering Ryder or trying to get food from someone, she can be found dragging all of the dog toys out into the backyard. Harley seems to think no one will find the toys if she scatters them around the yard. :D

Kyla is doing well. Her music class ended last week, but she still has a lot of fun at tumbling. The balance beam and trampoline are her faves. She does not even try to hang on the bar or rings, so we are hoping she will do that before the next session ends in June.

Kyla loves opening the pantry door. She is always finding something she thinks she needs to eat. She comes back with some crazy items too - taco seasoning, walnuts, confectioners sugar. We love it! She also loves stickers, stamps, pushing or riding in her cozy coupe, walking Ryder on his leash, music and Sesame Street.

She is finally starting to say a few more things. If you are lucky, you can hear her say "hi, up, pop and ba" (for ball).

The softball season is underway, as of today. Scott has his first game tomorrow night. It will be interesting to see how the Trojans do this year. We are rooting for first place again.

April 2009

April 8th

First off, we'd like to wish everyone a very "Hoppy Easter!"

Kyla's been busy this month. She started a new class at the rec center on Monday's called, Crocodile Rock. It's a music class filled with lots of kids and parents. The teacher plays the guitar and sings. Some songs are on a CD, but they are all fun to Kyla.

In addition to her new music class, Kyla is taking tumbling classes and getting together weekly with her friends for playdates. Everything is fun and exciting. She enjoys playing at local parks, but still does not have a lot of interest in swinging or going down the slides. Hopefully that will change soon.

Scott is busy with the start to a new quarter at work. Plus, softball will be starting next month, so he is gearing up for that. Right now, he is busy designing a new team logo. Come May, the team will be called the Trojans.

Other than that, there is not a lot to report at this time. Again, we wish you all a "Happy Easter." May God bless each and every one of you.