Rocket Launch

Here are the events leading up to our first annual Anderson Rocket Launch - East Coast Division.



Goofy Kids



Making the rockets



Painting the rockets

The Fourth of July

Preparing the rocket for take-off.

The countdown degins

Blast Off!

The only casualties were our 3 fallen rockets. 2 landed on top of the roof of Western Middle School and 1 landed in the tree.

They tried everything to get this one down; climbing the tree, shaking the tree, throwing sticks in hopes of hitting the rocket so it would fall to the ground but to no avail. It is a permanent fixture in the tree.

The show couldn't possibly be over, so the boys resorted to their own rockets. This is a bottle and below is a popsicle.

Boys will be boys.

We can't wait till next year. We had a BLAST!!

Kindergarten Fun Day

My little girl is growing up. Heaven knows we have had our challenges with Tasha but this year I have enjoyed watching her learn, grow, and mature. I wish at times I could push a pause button and stay in the moment. She has had a lot of changes take place this year with schools and our little family. She has overcome challenges with great strength and endurance.

With school has come much growth. She has been more willing to try new things and is starting to learn that it is ok to make mistakes. Mistakes are a part of the learning process. She loves reading, writing and drawing. She will often look at a page in a book and draw a picture that resembles it. She is learning the cello and has started to master many skills.

Tasha has a great ability to make new friends. She is very likeable. She has made a very close friend here in Greenwich named Zia that took her under her wing when we moved here. It made the transition easier for her to adjust to a new classroom setting.

Not only has she excelled in school but she has become a tremendous helper at home. Whenever Ty cries she runs to his rescue to take care of his demands. Without complaint she plays Spider man daily with Garrett. They are good little friends. Tasha is a GREAT big sister. Most days she does her chores without complaining. Recently we added a few more responsibilities. She seems to enjoy doing her big girl jobs. She also loves to help out in the kitchen. She is my little chef extraordinaire. She is a great daughter and a joy to be around. We love you Tasha!!!!

Here are some pictures from Kindergarten Fun Day








Her best friend Zia.
They are two peas in a pod
and completely inseparable.

4 Months

Ty is now 4 months. He weighs 14 lbs. 3 0z. He is 25 1/4 in. long. He has rolled over once from his tummy to his back. He's working on those abs. He attempts to sit up in the carseat and bouncer even though he is tyed down by the straps. He sits up with the help of mom and dad. He is curious about everything and has started to grab things with his hands and then attempts to put things in his mouth. He is also very vocal. We love watching him discover new things.

Snow Day

On Friday it snowed a ton. When I say a ton, I mean between 6 and 8 inches overnight. Tasha was already out of school for Winter Break so there was no free snow day. The kids have been dying all winter to go out and make a snow man. We really haven't had any snow to speak of this year until now. So with Ty safely down for a nap, Steph headed out with the kids. It was great fluffy stuff, not the normal icy stuff that we have had. Now we know why Utah has the greatest snow on Earth.


Now everytime we go outside they have to step on the snow. They thought it was really cool that the van had snow on top, they called it a snow hat. I told them that when it got warm enough the snow hat would fly off while we were driving. So for the last two days they have been watching very closely for the snow hat to fall off. Today while we were driving home from stake conference it finally happened. We felt a big gust and the snow hat took flight. They were so excited.

How fun it is to be a kid!

Grandma Anderson's Visit

We got to have a lot of fun with Grandma Anderson. We were so excited to have her come and spend a week with us. She soaked up all the time she could with Tasha, Garrett and Ty. She even found time to put Rob on a new diet (gotta watch the pounds these days).

Ty hasn't been sleeping very well, we think his stomach is giving him problems. So Grandma let us know about Gripe Water. This stuff is great. He takes a dropper-full before he eats and he is good to go. No more gassy tummy.

We are so glad that we got to spend this time with Grandma Anderson.

Introducing...

Ty Colton Anderson. That's right, he made it today. We went in this morning so Steph could be induced. Delivering Garrett was fast and wild so we decided to schedule this one. Everyone did very well. We got started at the hospital at 8:30 AM. Tasha and Garrett stayed with Kristen Anderson, Laura Turley and Monica Cowan, thanks a ton! It took a while for things to really get going, but by 4:20 PM he made his grand entrance. We think he is a very handsome addition to this Anderson bunch. He weighs 7 lbs. 7 oz and is 19 in long. He has a thin patch of dark hair and some big eyes. Steph and Ty are resting at Stamford hospital while I wrangle the kids. Tasha was really excited for him to come, she even had Kristen call us immediately after school to see if he was here yet. Garrett was a little more discriminating, but quickly warmed up when he met Ty. He will be a great big brother, even if he didn't want to take a picture with him.

Nearly full bloom

Here is an up to date pregnancy picture. Without further ado, here she is in all her glory. What a beautiful flower.

Halloween

Well we all had a great time on Halloween. Rob came home early and took the kids out Trick-or-Treating. With the candy the kids got from Trick-or-Treating and from the Trunk-or-Treat a week ago, they may never sleep again.

Tasha was a Pink Power Ranger and Garrett was Spiderman. As you can see, Garrett really loves being Spiderman. We got him the costume a couple of weeks ago, and he has wanted to wear it every day. (We're glad it was still in one piece by the time Halloween finally got here!)

We love to carve pumpkins. Tasha really did a great job. We poked holes in the pumpkins to mark the pattern and then used a little saw to cut out the holes. She followed right along the lines and did a great job on both pumpkins. When the kids got tired of the pumpkins they went for the apples and apple dip!

We have been trying to go to a farm to pick apples and pumpkins for the last couple of weeks, but the Saturdays have been cold and rainy. So today we went to see the Bee Movie. It was a lot funnier for the adults than the kids, but we all had a good time.

The Trunk or Treat party at the church

Here's a few pictures from the Trunk-or-Treat party we have every year at the church. They say its a lot safer than going around the neighborhood, but we just think it is a whole lot of fun.


Garrett and Tasha in the trunk of our "monster van." Everyone decorated their trunk and handed out candy.


Rob doing what he does best, he beat all the little kids in the no-hands donut eating contest.


Here the kids are making a ghost craft, Garrett even colored his with a scary face.

Like I promised

Here is a picture of Steph so you can see how the baby is coming. The doctor told us that it would need about 350 degrees for about 9 months and, I can tell you from personal experience, Steph is quickly approaching 350 degrees.

So here it is. She is about 6 months pregnant and as pretty as the day I married her. That doesn't mean she was 6 months pregnant when we were married or anything like that.

And just for good measure, this is how we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Tasha belongs to us.

Just in case you didn't notice, that is a mouthful of food underneath that smile. And her eyes never light up more that when she is getting into mischief.

I was sick a couple of days this week. Its been a while since I was sick like that. I missed a couple of days of work and everything. No worries though, I am back and good as new.

This next week we are moving into our new place, finally. I have actually been taking some things over during the last couple of weeks, but this will be for real.

Tasha has decided that she loves to eat all her lunch at school, she tells us everyday. However, she won't eat a peanut butter sandwich because there is a special table for the peanut butter kids, so the kids with allergies don't have to worry. That's a big change from when I grew up. It was all peanut butter all the time.

Oh, and if you thought you had your Jewish holidays mixed up because of my last post, I was wrong. Tasha was off due to Rosh Hashana, not Yom Kippur.

Tasha's Birthday 2007

Tasha had her birthday party a couple of weeks ago. We were waiting for her friend Victoria to get back from Japan so everyone could come. It was really fun. The kids did all kinds of fun things. Just look.

First we made flower leis for everyone to wear.

Then we had a potato sack race, fun to do and fun to watch.

Then we did the limbo, some of the kids got really low. Lexi was great at this.

Our lovely limbo girls.

Then we had a relay race where the kids dressed up in Hawaiian tourist clothes and ran an obstacle course.

They raced on two teams.

Then it was time for lots of cupcakes and icecream. Look at Garrett go.

Later at home Tasha opened her presents. I think Garrett was even more excited than Tasha.

Tasha got some headbands from Lexi and the kids knew exactly what to do with them.

A quick pic

Here is a picture of Garrett at the pool. He wasn't crazy about the goggles.

Things are changing

Some new developments this week. Today Rob was set apart as the new Elders Quorum President. He has been the First Councilor in the EQ for a year and a half now, but he is still pretty nervous about the change. Seems like we are always changing around here.

Keeping with the change theme Rob starts his new position in New York City in only another two weeks! Today we realized it is time to order the train ticket for next month.

So, we will keep on changing around here. Rob got to talk with Dan on the video chat tonight and that was really fun. Dan is still talking in his sing-songy brazilian accent, but it is good to have him home. We really hope he finds himself a date soon so he can get back to normal.

This is Tasha and Garrett getting out of the tub on our trip to Washington D.C. this spring. What a couple of cheeseballs!