Shaun's First Football Game

Ok So in the Andersen house there is really only one sport we all enjoy. Football! Everyone puts up with Daddy watching basketball but only because there isn't any football to watch. Now that it is time for high school football, it is an exciting time for us.

There are lots of perks to working for the Mooresville Graded School District. The one we like the best is free admission to all sporting events for employees and their families. I really like taking Ashleigh and Cadence to the football games every year. But it is a little different when you get to take your son to his first football game! Caleb always liked to watch football on TV when he was really little so I figured that going to a real game would be great.

Walking up he was having fun but when we got into the stadium he was just dumbfounded by all the people and the colors and the noise. Fortunately the Blue Devils played a great game (We won 24-0!) so there were a lot of cheers. Each one caused Caleb to jump right out of his skin!
He made a lot of friends and entertained everyone around him, especially when I would toss him into the air when we made a big play!

Cadence always likes the games. She really likes the cheerleaders and the Blue Diamonds dance team. Her friend from church Big Mary is on the dance line so an awful lot of Cadence's game time is spent looking for Big Mary and trying to get her attention. As a note Big Mary is not especially big, Cadence just has a friend who is 4 and also named Mary, hence Big Mary and Little Mary.

I am looking forward to more games this year. But I am eagerly looking forward to more male bonding experiences with Caleb. Hopefully the football team does well so we can bring Creed to a game this year too!

Walking up to the stadium














Let's Go Blue Devils!















Here are a few pictures of the Blue Diamonds and the cheerleaders for Cadence!

Preschool!

Ok so today Cadence made another Big-girl step.
....wait for it.... get a tissue.....
Today was her first day of Preschool at 1st Presbyterian here in Mooresville.
Cadence has been looking forward to this for quite a while and she was just great.

I (Chris) had to go back to work also so Cadence and I went out for breakfast then I got to drop her off. It was so sweet seeing my little girl step out of my and Ashleigh's care and into a bigger world. I am excited for her and a little sad because the baby we love is growing into a sweet, compassionate and beautiful little lady.

I prayed that she would show her sweetness and make friends. I also prayed that I would cling to the moments to hold her a little longer and cherish the time I have with her.

I know its just preschool... But I love my girl!

Posing with her back pack as we load the car!

Waiting in the car line. In a driving rain storm!

















Getting out, no hesitation!
So Big and Brave!

She had a fun day where she got to play and do some coloring. Her first paper she did she got all the answers right!

Needless to say we are so proud of her and can't wait to see what God has in store for her this year as she grows and learns and sees new things!

New Bedrooms for Everyone!

After lots of different thoughts on how to fit all 3 kids into bedrooms with Chris and I both teaching in the house, we decided to put the boys together and fix them a Star Wars room and put Cadence in a room by herself. In order to help motivate her to sleep in her own room - right now she sleeps in the boys room - we thought new bedding would be a good idea. So, as part of her birthday, she got new bedding that would still match everything else. She really likes the bedding but still likes to sleep in the room with Caleb Shaun too.......so we're still working on it. Either way, here is a picture of her new bed.



After taking a picture of the bedding, she wanted to take pictures of everything else in her room so here are a few of those pictures taken by Cadence herself!



For the boys room, we wanted to use all the Star Wars stuff we have collected over the years and thought it would be fun and different than a normal nursery. Thankfully Pottery Barn now carries Vintage Star Wars bedding so that was the majority of Caleb Shaun's birthday!

His new big boy bed that his sister sleeps in :)


Because of the bedding we chose, we didn't like the green walls with it so, we decided to paint! and spent most of last week putting the boys room together. After 3 days of painting and molding and 2 full nights of putting together lego ships, the room started to come together. We're really happy with how it turned out and think the boys will be able to enjoy it for lots of years to come.


The boys verses that coincide with their names. Cadence has her verses hanging in her room too from when she was born. And the new-to-us dresser that holds the boys clothes.

Caleb Shaun's 1st Birthday!

Because of sharing a birthday with both Cadence and Slang, we pretty much put off Caleb Shaun's celebration until the end of the week. We figured he didn't mind :)

This picture was taken on his actual birthday as he got up - bed head and all!

Opening a couple of presents from KayKay and yellow GiGi on the morning of his birthday (with help from Cadence of course)

On Friday, before his party, we started him out opening up another present from GiGi because we knew it had his birthday bib and crown for the party. He definitely was into the paper!

My sister, April, came up with the brilliant idea to have a Super Mario Bros. party. And although we didn't do everything we could have with a themed party, it was still pretty cute. Thankfully Christa, my cousin, lives up here now and so I asked her to make the cake. She's fabulous with cakes so it made lots of sense for her to tackle Mario instead of me attempting it.

See?

We headed to Bellingham Park for his party on Friday evening. We were a little concerned about the heat and rain with an outside party but thankfully, dark clouds blew in and kept on blowing and just cooled everything off to where it was actually a pretty pleasant evening for August.

The impromtu decorating crew taking care of things

The cake/food table all set up. Chris made the flags on the cupcakes. We were really happy with how all the Mario stuff turned out!

The Birthday Boy in his birthday bib and crown :)

Lighting his cupcake. We were a little concerned about the cake part of this party since we have a little boy who doesn't eat with his mouth. However, he loved the fire and singing, and being the center of attention so it still worked out pretty well. And since he does put food in his mouth and then spits it out, the end result looked much like other 1 year olds eating their birthday cake!

Singing Happy Birthday

Pretty Proud of his cupcake

talking to Uncle Evan about the whole experience

See? You'd never know by looking at him that he has an aversion to food in his mouth

The present table. We made the mistake of waiting until it was too late in the evening to open presents so it wasn't the most pleasant of experiences, but that's OK because he's loved playing with everything today even if opening it last night wasn't much fun.

Caleb Shaun in his new birthday ride!

As Chris and I debriefed the birthday week today, we were talking about how much of a miracle it is that this little boy has even made it thru his first year of life. 2 open heart surgeries, along with a couple of other surgeries on his stomach, a product of the foster care system, having no idea of who his biological father is, having a mom who chose to terminate her parental rights because of the amount of work he will be to raise long-term, feeding and physical therapy, and now waiting to become a permanent Andersen. What a year! Yeah, we're pretty much going to celebrate daily the fact that the Lord has given us this child to train up and have the honor to tell about the Gospel.

So, Caleb Shaun, along with praying for you for all your physical stuff and just normal growing up stuff, you can believe with everything in you that your Daddy and I are believing that you will absolutely live up to your name and choose at an early age, and for the rest of your life, to follow the Lord with your whole heart (or as much of a heart as the Lord has given you) and look forward to celebrating as many birthdays and everydays as the Lord chooses to give you.

Numbers 14:24 But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me wholeheartedly, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it. NRSV

Opening presents with Mommy and Daddy

Cadence was way into her birthday this year. It's like she's finally figured out that it's a day that centers around her AND she gets presents! What could be better than than in the mind of a 4 year old? :) So, when she woke up on August 3rd, we had her presents out on the table. She was so excited and couldn't wait to start opening them. So, Chris and I drug ourselves out of bed and let the present opening begin.

There was lots of princess stuff this year. An apron/oven mitt set, a pillowcase to be colored, a snow globe, a couple of barbies, a ballet stage for her princesses, etc. and of course the ever practical "school clothes" from Mommy and Daddy. They weren't nearly as exciting :)

Here she is looking at the back of the box.

A disclaimer here:

I hate the back of the box. All it does is show a kid what they don't have and still need. Why can't we just be grateful for the toy in the box? No, everything that was opened and photographed, when she held it up for the picture - she could see the back of the box and it shows everything in the collection that she didn't get!. It should be illegal for toy makers to put anything on the back of a box that a toy comes in.

and yes, she is kissing Prince Eric she was so excited to have a new boy! Now Prince Navine doesn't have to marry all the girls.