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...

Dad time = Mad time.

it's 9:20 in the am on Nov 17th.  the sun has been up with the Roosters baking Encinitas like a scone.  maybe it's a broil.  heat pounds off the concrete and thru the windows.  the santa anna's are up, which means that the air is dry and warm, and the waves are finely shaped by the off-shore breeze and buttery smooth.  Augustella is happily yelping in the background while her toes, just inches from these pages, squeeze an imaginary sponge.  Every once in awhile i pause to rub them and she clamps my fingers with her foot claw.  We've been having a lot of dad time lately while Jenna has been powering through an intense weekend of doula training.  It's worked surprisingly well, the way our schedules collide.  it can be a bit, drop-the-girl-off-and-go, but it's working it's way into normality.  totally a fireman's schedule, minus all the life threat and heroism.  i leave town, get 2 weeks of work done in 5 days, come home and am home, until the next tour stretch 2 to 8 days later.  I get be in a lot of places while not being there at all.  the culture becomes some venue somewhere, off some highway in some town.  being home, watching those toes turn to a timing of their own is a delicacy.  Those toes are growing.  Those hands are cunning.  And we get dirty.  Me, by association with her and her by quick touch exploration.  On Friday night she submerged a nearby tumbler with seven-up and dark rum, that stealthily went unnoticed to my radar until i saw a dripping hand, smacking lips and trail of splash from crime scene to culprit.  On Saturday Morning Augustella Mike Tyson'd a bowl of oatmeal, slopping oats on the both of us during our weekly fellas breakfast at the Potato Shack in Encinitas on I st. and the 101.    As this is becoming a staple in our father/daughter routine, i look forward to introducing her to one of those manhole sized cakes of pan and watching her eyes bounce with syrup and sugar.  On Sunday I got domestic.    The crock pot simmering on low all saturday prior with a homemade chilly potion as evidence of it.  It must have cooked for 36 hours, mingling smoked sirloin, smoked sausage, black beans, chilly, cinnamon, crushed red pepper, port wine, merlot, jim beam and fat tire.  It was a death trap.  A first class ticket to the nearest bathroom!  So good, but so so so bad.  Sunday, football day, chilly day started the way every sabbath should, with some boys, some instruments and Augustella.  She fell asleep in my arms, turned limp and i rushed her home while she slept in her Curly - Lamb - Bow Green Bay Pack onesie for 3 hours while i ate chilly and cheered on the Packers.  Throughout the weekend, Jenna would call to check-in for the eating and sleeping report.  I was very unlucky with solids with the exception of a leaf that Augustella consumed while i was pointing to the tree it fell from.  we are proud to announce that Augustella is still 100% organic.

folding tiny clothes...

i just finished one of my favorite things... folding augustella's little pants and footed jammies and onesies and socks. the load tonight was exceptionally larger than normal because earlier today, i went through the 0-6 month storage bin which hides under her crib, and pulled out new articles that have been waiting to make their appearance in her wardrobe. what really floors me is that she's suddenly fitting into things which less than a year ago, i couldn't envision her ever being big enough to wear. the same little lady that fit into 5-8 pound gerber onesies (which hung loose on her) is now wearing clothes, many given as gifts, that i've been so excited to see her in. i know everyone says that they "grow so fast, enjoy this time," and i have been 100%... but it's still so shocking the day by day, little by little, she's growing and changing so very much.

earlier in the evening, she and i went over to joe and jessica's for fish tacos... as we walked through the front door and were greeted with a chorus of hellos by friends that were already inside, augustella was suddenly a bit overwhelmed and responded with tears and clinging tighter to me. it absolutely melted me... this little human, who is so curious, so amazed by all the new sights, sounds, smells, tastes and things to touch around her but still so tender and in need of the familiar, what's safe and secure to her. one of my other very favorite things about life with august is this... that she fully trusts me. that when she's shaken by something, she's calmed by me. that when she needs something, she's able to communicate it to me without words, but just by acting a certain way or making a noise or showing it in her face. that she's not skeptical or jaded by life... that she truly believes the very best and as far as she is concerned, is content and thinks that all things are as they should be.

it's pure joy to live life as augustella's mom... it's a gift that i don't take lightly.