Kisses for the sister.

my first birthday cupcake.

crawl, baby crawl.

playin' with friends.

rubber ducky, i like you.

puppy!

new vans.

pics.

madness.

hi.  we went nuts and we're slowly calming down.  i can't really talk, but i can type.  dad went to alaska, where it was - 40 degrees, then we went to ireland and i sipped a Guinness.  we came home and moved homes...then dad went to central america.  2 days after he got home, mom doula'd for another baby and her momma.  then i heard i was going to be a big sister...and that i'd have a little sister.  i'd like another sip of Guinness, please.  love, a ella

Augustella in Green Bay.

Christmas Letter.

a little anderson family update...

merry Christmas and welcome to 2009 friends and family... well, we thought we'd post a little update on life for us here so that you could read at your leisure.

i'll start with bobby...

in the earlier part of the year, bobby's time in san diego was spent working alongside noah and lending a hand to various woodworking and craftsmanship projects. many a day he came home with splinters sporadically popping out his hands and evidence of a day spent staining, as his nail-beds held a nice espresso hue. he learned lots about the trade and built a few pieces for us to enjoy as well! the rest of early '08 was spent on the road with thl, as they forged another national tour for the better part of late february and march. it was on the road that he immersed himself in birthing books... preparing for the big april arrival. following augustella's birth, we were fortunate to have him home for the first few months... soon thereafter, he started traveling with friends of ours in the band switchfoot as he ventured into the world of managing and running their tour merchandise sales. since june, he's been a jet-setter throughout most of the continental 48 states. thankfully, when he's home, he's been able to spend full days with august- which she clearly thinks is just about the best thing in the world.

as for this holiday life... with some life changes and career aspirations of the 4 gentlemen, thl is taking up residence on the back burner.

my update...
well, giving birth was hands down the highlight :) venturing into motherhood alongside bobby as he's become dad has been an ongoing daily joy as we are more and more enamored with augustella ryan anderson, who we affectionately call "chomper" or "chomps" for short. we're pretty sure she's going to take us on quite a ride for the rest of our lives... her big blue (yes, blue) eyes and fair features, along with her wide smile greet us every morning and make any amount of sleep-depravity well worth it. simply put- we LOVE life with her... we're humbled by the gift of grace that she is to us.

i've continued on staff at north coast calvary chapel as our young women's director. returning from maternity leave, i cut 10 hours from my schedule and split my time working 2 days in the office and 2 days from home. it's worked out pretty well so far as bobby's been able to be home on the days when i've been in the office.

something new and exciting for me is that i've begun the certification process to become a birth doula. what in the world is that? a doula is a woman who is trained in the aspects of labor, delivery & birth and supports women and their husbands through it offering continual emotional, physical, and educational support. doulas are not trained medically and therefore do not perform any tasks that an ob or midwife do... they are another person in the birth team, but one who is uniquely there to be a continuous support to the mother and father. for more info- check out www.dona.org. it's an area that i've been thinking about for a while and after going through my own birth experience, felt like it was time to look into and start to pursue. i will be supporting my first expecting parents in march... can't wait.

augustella...
these days she's dabbling a bit more in the realm of solid foods, though a few bites tends to be her limit. still showing off her two bottom teeth which have been in the picture since she was barely two weeks. her sandy blonde hair seems to thicken and grow overnight. no crawling or scooting milestones quite yet... still content to stay in one place. loves a good book both for reading and chewing. gives us an ear-full with her ba's, da's, screeches, gurgles and giggles.

what's ahead...
a chapter in our life is coming to a bittersweet close in a few weeks as we part ways with the nagel's, who we've been sharing space with for the past 5 (yes FIVE!) years. we knew this day would inevitably come and it seems that it's the right time... mark and kath are moving up north to the ventura/ santa barbara area, as mark will start school at the brooks institute. not to mention the arrival of baby girl nagel in mid-may. we are so very thankful for the season of life we've shared in this house and for all that it's taught us.
we're looking forward to our new residence- the back house of some friends who live in cardiff.

so that's the haps with us. we're looking forward to new adventures this year. hope to cross paths with many of you. thankful that you are each in our lives.

our recommendations...

books
jra
cold tangerines- shauna niequist
honey for a child's heart- gladys hunt

rma
david copperfield - charles dickens

the confessions - st. augustine

poems - t.s. elliot

ara
big red barn- margaret wise brown
the eye book- dr. seuss

tunes
jra
the living room sessions- chris rice

rma
ode to sunshine- delta spirit

fate- dr. dog

ara

oh darling - the beatles

oh maybelene - chuck berry

father & daughter- paul simon

the chronic - Dr. Dre

movies:

what's a movie? haven't seen one in ages.

for grandpa bob

a new trick learned while spending time with gramps over Christmas...