Merry Christmas

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We hope this holiday season brings you happiness and joy. 2008 has been an eventful year to say the least. We spent some loooong coooold winter months in Milwaukee, but always enjoyed bundling up to go downtown. Dusty finished up a very busy intern year at The Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. We had a baby, our sweet little Sophie was born on June 23, when she was only 5 days old Dusty left for a month for officers training in the Air Force. The kids and I spent a few weeks at my moms while Dusty was gone; her help was greatly appreciated. We moved to Phoenix, the land of heat! If there is one thing in Phoenix you can always predict, it is the weather, blue skies and sunny. From Milwaukee’s cold winter to Phoenix’s HOT summer we have spent a lot of time indoors this past year. It wasn’t until after Thanksgiving that it has finally cooled down to the 70’s. (And natives think this is COLD?) It is kind of funny to see people wearing a tank top with a scarf. In many ways it just doesn’t feel like Christmas. At the beginning of December we decorated the Christmas tree then went for a walk in flip-flops and shorts. We have found that nothing says Merry Christmas more than a cactus lit up with a string of lights (welcome to the Southwest)!! Needless to say we do like living Arizona, we love the sunsets, saguaro cactus, the mountains that surround the valley, the quiet life living on a military base, and being within driving distance to our families.

Dusty has been working as a family practice doctor here at Luke Air Force base. He has learned a lot about the military and the responsibility of being a physician. He has enjoyed a more flexible schedule then the past couple of years as well as all of the federal holidays! Dusty has spent most Saturday mornings going mountain biking and has enjoyed living near mountains again.

I have been busy being a mother of three, going to playgroups, story times, taking the kids swimming, on walks and bike rides. I really cherish the moments that I am able to stand back and watch the kids play and interact with one another. They have grown a lot during this crazy year and have really become the best of friends.

Isaac (5 years old) has loved preschool this year and has made many friends. His teachers always have great things to say about him. Isaac has been learning to read this year and we have enjoyed seeing him succeed in that. He recently read a set of beginner books and was rewarded with a trip to Chucky Cheese. Isaac loves to draw, we are amazed at some the details of his pictures, he sometimes turns his pictures into books and phonetically writes out words to tell his story. He learned how to ride his bike without training wheels this year and is very proud of that – he is always trying new tricks to be like Dad. We have loved to see Isaac’s confidence grow as he accomplishes new things.

Emma (3 years old) is our coy little princess who loves to dress up. She is constantly wearing a Tinker Bell costume or a princess dress with a crown and the plastic high hills to match, and yes she always insists on wearing them to the store. Emma loves to “read” to her baby dolls and push them in strollers when we go for walks. She loves her older brother and always wants to be like him, she often says “I’m 5”! Emma has learned her capital letters and can count from 1-10. We are so proud of her.

Sophia (6 months) loves to jump in her doorway jumper, take baths, and watch Isaac and Emma play. She loves attention and has a sweet little laugh. She has been starting to eat baby food and has just started sitting on her own. We have loved the addition Sophie has been to our family. She is a great baby. We love our little Sophie.

We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! May 2009 bring you peace and great joy.

Best Wishes,
Dustin, Jandee, Isaac, Emma and Sophia Anderson

Sophie's first Santa visit.

Emma was a little too timid to sit on Santa's lap, well actually she was extremely too timid to sit on Santa's lap.


Isaac with the "real" Santa. We had seen Santa at a story time, but Isaac said it wasn't the "real" Santa because he had on army pants with a Santa jacket. We decided it was just one of Santa's helpers! But, this Santa was the real deal and had a huge line to prove it!