more Spring break prep work

So, some of you may think this is dumb but Chris and I were pretty excited about it. 

First of all, we love Craigslist! It can't be helped. I would to thank Craig personally for making up this list because it ROCKS!!!!  We buy (and sell) lots of stuff on Craigslist. Well, we've been looking for a couple of months now for another bike (Chris already has one that he rides to school most days) as well as a toddler seat for a bike so that Cadence can ride with Chris (or me but mostly Chris).  I was really wanting to have one before we went on our Spring Break trip because I think it would be lots of fun while we're camping to be able to go on bike rides thru the park and stuff. So, Chris sent me a link from Craigslist for a bike WITH a child seat to look at. I looked at it and was really excited about it. It was a TREK mountain/hybrid bike with a toddler seat and helmet included!!  and the price was $85.  You might not think that is a great deal but it is. First of all, a TREK bike is real good. Even tho it's an older bike, you never see them on craigslist for less than 3-400 dollars and usually they're closer to 1000 or above. The seat that we got is a Rhode something or other. Looking those up online on like Amazon or EBAY they're between 85 and 200 themselves. Then, throw the TREK toddler helmet in (which still had a price tag of 34.99 on it) and we got a GREAT deal!  If you've actually made it thru and read all these words, you can be excited for us too. and I even added a picture (because that's what we're really looking for on a blog anyway)  Here are Cadence and Chris on their first bike ride together :)

Easter Package

Easter packages are beginning to arrive, reminding our mail lady once again that a holiday is coming :)  This one is from Grammie (or Yellow GiGi). Cadence was so excited about it. 

The first 2 pictures she's playing on Chris' iPod not even noticing the present in front of her. But then she figured it out and got right to opening it. Click HERE for  a video of her opening all the stuff. 

I was trying to get a good picture of her shoes but for some reason, I can't get this stupid picture to turn the right way. But you get the idea. She loves them and I love them because she can put the on herself :)

Spring Break Practice

This past week in the Andersen house, we began gearing up for Spring Break!  Our spring break plans include camping in Tennessee for a couple of days, going to Memphis to see my cousin Amber, and our final destination is Grain valley, MO to see Chris' family and baby JackJack (our new nephew on the Andersen side)  So, Chris and I are pros at camping and know just what we would normally need to camp out for a couple of days. However, we've never camped with Cadence before so that is making us re-think some stuff as well as needing to prepare her for camping to make it the best experience possible. The number 1 thing Cadence needed was a sleeping bag. So, last week, we made a trip to Wal-Mart to pick out a sleeping bag. She picked the Disney Princess one (no surprise there) and we headed home. 

Chris and I have been talking about that we are going to sleep in a tent. Well, her only tent reference is her big pink Princess tent. So, the first thing we did when daddy got home was to show him the sleeping bag and have him set up her tent so she could pretend sleep in it. 

The next night, we all put our sleeping bags in her pink tent and were planning on sleeping in it for the night to practice inside. We all piled in (including Slang) and watched The Little Mermaid (which Chris and i both slept thru) and once it was over Cadence said "I want to sleep in my real bed" :)  So, we got out of tent-sleeping for the night. 


Saturday - Chris set up the tent we will be taking so Cadence can have in her brain what is for real going on. She loved it!! She thought Daddy's big tent was lots of fun. We played in it, ate in it, Snow White and Ariel both took naps in it, and when it was Cadence's nap time she actually got her sleeping bag and air mattress and laid down in it and went to sleep!

That evening, we built a fire and burned some hot dogs for supper along with making s'mores.  I think that Spring break has the potential to be lots of fun!!

On a side note, Cadence and I planted some vegetables to see if was can have some for the summer. Here we are planting  Peppers, lettuce and tomato. I'm excited to see if anything will actually grow this year :)

What else has been going on?

We went this past weekend to Raleigh to hang with the Palahnuks. We had so much fun. KayKay took Cadence and Mya to get their pictures made. The girls were SO cute!! I love the pictures. However, you have to come over or go to Kathy's to see them :)  While we were there, Andy made his yummy Greek food. It is delicious! Seriously. So, after dinner, Amanda was doing dishes and somehow got roped into letting Cadence "help"  Here they are being productive (maybe)

Other than that, not a whole lot going on in Andersen world besides riding a tricycle (see post below).   The same day that she was riding her tricycle by herself, we went on a wagon ride down to see if the cows were out. They were!!!!!  Cadence was so excited that she scared the cows :)  but it was OK. She really wanted her baby to see the cows. It was so cute that I decided it was definitely picture worthy. 

Today in our life

Cadence learned to ride her tricycle by herself!!! Check out the video here

What is Pioneer Park Days?!?

Pioneer Park Days is a little hard to explain if you've never actually attended. When I was a kid in elementary school, I remember dressing up in Pioneer costumes made by Aunt Connie and Mama and going to school to learn about people like Laura Ingalls Wilder. There was always a parade at some point during the week and then we would go to Pioneer Park Days where you could get a funnel cake, some corn, and listen to all these old-timey motors making lots of noise. It's changed a little since then, not much, but a little. The biggest change would be that now there's not a parade, I don't know if kids get dressed up, and they've incorporated a flea market into the event to attract old people ;)  

April described it as the "world's biggest yard sale" 

So this year, Emily and April decided to cash in on PPD's by making hairbows, burp cloths, paci clips, and pillow case dresses to sell at the "yard sale"  There stuff was definitely some of the cutest at the event. 

See what I mean?

Cadence was such a trooper. 3 days at a yard sale where it's hot and dusty can be hard on a kid. Here she is the first day taking a nap - on the ground, on a table cloth :)

One of Emily's pillowcase dresses. This one is one of my favorites!


I took Cadence to see some of the old-timey stuff at PPD too. She loved the train but didn't know why it was "broken" (because we couldn't ride it)  We looked in the indian tent but she was kind of scared because there were animal skins up all over it. 

Playing with GiGi (she definitely helped to make PPD more bearable)

And of course there was a playground. It was Cadence's favorite part and we spent lots of time playing at it. 

There were also REAL ponies!  Mom took Cadence to ride on them with Aunt Connie and she just kept saying "They're REAL!!" So, we went back with the camera to get some pics of her on a real pony. :)

The white one was the one she rode the first time. 

New Video

For those who have asked for it, here is a new video of cadence. Just random silliness that we get to witness daily :)  Click HERE

Snow Day #3

So, this is the most snow I've (Ashleigh) ever seen in my life!  But seriously, 3 snow days since January?!?  A little ridiculous if you ask me :)  but the Andersen's are choosing to make the best of all the time together.   Here are the pics from our snow morning. 

What we woke up to :)

Chris said that there's enough to attempt a snow man so here are him and Cadence building it. 

The finished product complete with accessories. 

This is the tree in our front yard. I love that it has spring buds on it as well as snow. 

Chris made a snow angel because Cadence was being pouty and didn't want to do it. 

Then we came in to make hot chocolate and snow cream!  

Cadence got to drop in the pieces of peppermint and the marshmallows to the hot chocolate

Our snow cream (with chocolate and strawberry mix on top)  I don't think I did it right since I just googled it but it was still pretty good. Cadence really liked it. 

The blue bowl was the snow we gathered and the silver bowl was where we made the snow cream. More firsts for the Andersen's!! First SnowMan and First SnowCream altogether a great morning!