My (belated) Birthday!!

Thanks for my party guys! I love being one. It was so cool to have a party at the park!

I liked playing in the sand with the big girls.

 Mmm bangers and beans. Grandma Ruff cooks up some mean beans!

Uncle Aaron cooking with his crazy face on.

I like playing with my baby friends (hi Audrey!), but I play nice so that I can sneak away their food.

 Mmmm- I like to make use of my 8 teeth!

 My cousin Roro

 Some more friends!

 Kate- I got my eye on your bread stick!

 Judah and Micah take a whack at the sticker-filled Zebra.

 Judah got very attached to the Zebra. He didn't quite understand why we were hitting it and why treats eventually came flying out if it.

 I loved when you all sang me happy birthday! I felt so special!

 All done! I liked my purple frosting the most!

Can't wait for my next party!

Love, Sadie Fern

1-2-3 I loved you vacation! See you again soon!

My vacation was restorative! Who hoo! Let me count the ways-

1. I love people and being with friends, it rejuvenates me. There was lots of social time over break. It made me happy. To name a few...

• Indian food at Mike and Shea's
• Christmas stocking making with Anne
• Hang out with Aaron and Sarah
• Thankgiving with family and good friend Seth
• Apple picking with my family
• Thanksgiving leftover meal with OCC friends

2. Another reason why this was such an lovely break, is that I got a lot of time to create. I made an Advent calendar for my sister's family out of paper. I spent all last Tuesday cutting and pasting tiny figures to complete a wintry scene. It was bliss! If you'd like, I can make one for you too (if you ask nicely)! I also spent yesterday making felt Christmas stockings for our family with my good friend Anne. Again, I got a surge of joy in the creative process. We're not quite done yet, but I got the gist of it, and we should be able to finish up soon. Sadie and Mark's stocking are super cute! Tis the season to create!

3. Our family time was so relaxing over break. Sadie was especially silly and happy over this week. It was nice to play with her. She often breaks out in giggles at the slightest oddity (e.g. dad playing with her toy, dad chasing her, or dad doing something else silly). Having a baby has to be one of the best things in life.

Now it's time to gear up for work tomorrow. I'm going to put on my positive face!

xoxo- Rebecca

ps. pictures to follow, once my new charger comes in the mail!

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!

Wow, if I didn't have these things in my life I don't know what I'd do!?--

1) My husband. Mark is amazingly supportive. If it's a dirty diaper that needs changing, a dish that needs washing, or a wife that needs to talk- he's there, quick. I don't know who I'd be without Mark- he's been my side kick for over 9 years (!). I'm especially thankful that Mark helps me to be a better me, and we just have fun together.

2) My Sadie lady. This year has been the year of Sadie. She is my joy. I love every inch of her- she makes me laugh a lot. I am really thankful to be her mom!

3) My family. We are alike in so many ways, and different in so many others. Things are not always peachy when you have a handful of emotional, passionate, and dramatic peoples sharing life together. But, I love my family. We are there for each other when life calls for it (and sometimes just for fun!), and being with my family makes me feel safe.

4) Peets. I know this is silly, but Peets feels like community. When we go to our nearby Peets we always run into someone- sooz, roro, my mom, neighbors, friends, folks from work- it feels like Oakland to me, like home.

5) Creativity. This really fuels a lot of what I do, and I'm so thankful that I'm a creative person. Mark just commented yesterday that that's probably why I love teaching- I love creating ideas for lessons and motivating kids.

6) My church. We've been going to a new church this fall- Oakland City Church. It has really motivated Mark and I spiritually. It's also been great to become involved in a vibrant new community. 

7) Steadfast friends. I'm not a great friend- I've come to realize (even though I try). I'm good at having a couple of close friends, and I'm not so good at cultivating a large deep friend network. My two closest friends- Trish and Katie live so far away from me, but they are dear to me. And, they've put up with me for a long time. It's just like to have people that know you so well, and that experience the ups and downs of life with you. Thanks ladies!  It's also been lovely to have a group of friends in Oakland to share life with... we've lived here about 10 years and we've creating some lasting friendships...I'm really thankful for my everyday friends!! It's been so wonderful having a group of friends nearby that are at the same life stage and share the same values.

There's a lot more...but the rest is pretty superficial (like Hulu, new clothes, my car, farmer joe's etc...).

Be thankful today, and listen tomorrow- because tomorrow is the National Day of Listening (not shopping!).

Peace xoxo

Chatterbox

So my camera's battery is dead, and I can't seem to find the charger anywhere. And can you believe that Cannon charges $95 for a new charger! Hmmm, we'll need to shop around.

Sadie is one- who hoo (pictures to follow at a later date)! We had a lovely celebration for her in the park with family and friends. It was a perfect fall morning. At her 1-yr healthy child visit, her fabulous doctor, Dr. Tenney, reported that she is in the 90% percentile for height, 90% for her head size, and 50% in weight. Sounds like her dad!

Sadie motors around all day, here are some highlights:

• playing with toys- whether sanctioned or off-limit items
• constant talking, including her catch phrases, "uh-oh" and "oh yeah". and she started saying "happy" after her birthday- for reals!
• praciting her standing and taking a tentative step! Perhaps more will follow, soon!
• being a yogi constantly with the downward dog yoga pose
• playtime with friends- she's learning to be gentle and not grab hair
• she's loving food- homemade soups, vegetable/fruit medleys, crackers, yogurt, and of course, cheese

Here's a video shot a couple of days ago- Sadie is in her element. And, she calls this caterpillar toy A-B, because it sings the A-B-Cs. Hmmm, I think I have a little chatterbox on my hands.

Have a great Thanksgiving!!! XOXO

Round Up

It's a typical afternoon in the Anderson casa. Sadie is tired, but refuses to sleep. Instead, she's motoring away placing her favorite bath toy (a camo pick duckie from Aunt Susannah) in and out of plastic cups. She has toys in her room, but she always eventually crawls to find her bath toys- which are her #1 favorite.

I started teaching an online course- Literacy Assessment- for a teaching credential program in late October. So, if you were wondering why I've been a blog slacker- I'm been channeling my computer energy to teaching this class. I'm learning a lot as I go about how to teach an online class and more about literacy assessment. I'm glad for the opportunity. Perhaps I'll teach more college classes in the future. I think I would like that. To teach teachers, I think it really helps if you are an current teacher yourself- IMHO.

Sadie's 1st birthday is this Friday. I can hardly believe it. My little one has grown up so fast. Her reasoning ability is skyrocketing. She's also more aware. So we have to be a little more careful- she understands so much, and is soaking it in.  One annoying thing is that she's learning how to manipulate us- her cries are more insistent and for things she really wants (food and freedom from her bed, mostly). But it's great to watch her learn and discover. As I type, she is putting her bath toy bucket on and off of her head, over and over.

We're planning to have a low key party at a nearby park- and we're hoping California graces us with some seasonally warm weather. Having a bunch of families over isn't as fun in our small house. A big space with slides and swings is definitely a lot more fun (and more manageable too)!

We went chestnut picking for Mark's 34th birthday. We had a lovely day. It was nice especially to have a lot of driving time for Mark and me to talk. Here are some photo highlights:

This are what the chestnuts look like on the tree. But you have to pick them up off the ground. They're not ripe when they are on the tree inside their prickly husk.

Okay- Well, I'll be sure to upload some photos from the birthday bash.

xoxo