Christmas Letter 2008

Our Dearest Family and Friends,

We hope this letter find you all well. As a family we want all of you to know how much we love and appreciate you. And wish you a very Merry Christmas. This time of year is a wonderful time to reflect on the last 12 months and realize how truly blessed we all are. For us, we started the year 2008 as a family of 3 but very quickly became a family of 4. On January 25, 2008 we welcomed our sweet baby boy Ryan Braxton into our family. He has brought us all so much joy and happiness. Andalyn absolutely loves being a big sister, and is very good at it. She is always making sure she knows where he is and that he is ok.

We also started out this year living with my wonderful In-laws in Folsom California! They were gracious enough to let us live with them for about 9 months when we moved back from New Mexico, spanning between 2007 to 2008. We want to take this opportunity to let them know what a huge blessing they are in our lives. They are some of the most selfless people we know, and are so lucky to have them in our lives!

We moved out of their home in April of this year, just up the hill from Folsom to El Dorado Hills. We absolutely love El Dorado Hills. It is so beautiful up here. One of Courtney, Andalyn and Ryan's favorite things to do in the mornings once Dave leaves for work, is to look out our front window and watch all of the squirrels climb up and down the trees and across the rocks. We also love to watch all of the different types of birds who come to visit our trees and yard.

Dave is still employed with Verizon Wireless and really enjoys it. We are so blessed to have Dave work for a company that takes such great care of us! He manages a retail store in Placerville California which is about another 15-20 miles up the road from El Dorado Hills. Dave works really hard and has a very abnormal schedule. He does whatever it takes to make sure that Courtney and the kids are taken care of. We are so blessed to have him!

Courtney is enjoying staying home with Andalyn and Ryan. Adding Ryan to the mix in January was a little rough in the beginning, however has turned out to make her life that much more fulfilling. Andalyn and Ryan are her pride and joy, and with Dave, want nothing more then then for them to be happy, healthy and to know the joys of the gospel. Courtney also keeps her self busy by having play dates with other families including her sister Stacy. Stacy just moved up here with her Husband Marc and Daughter Montana about 6 months ago. Courtney loves living with in 2 miles of her sister!! They stay very busy. :)

Andalyn has grown leaps and bounds this year. She began this year as a sweet little toddler and she's ending it as a very confident 3 year old little girl. This girl never ceases to amaze Dave and Courtney. She knows her ABC's and is working on learning the sounds they make. She knows all of her colors and has for over a year now. She can count to 20, and can have a full blown conversation with you. Everyday our jaws drop with what this girl comes up with.

Ryan has grown so fast...we can't believe that he will be one year old very soon! This year has flown by. He started out as this itty bitty thing and now he is a 24 pound cuddle bug. If you know Ryan, you know the second you hold him, he wraps his arms around your neck and gives you a big squeeze. It is the best feeling getting a hug from such a sweet baby boy. He is saying mama and dada, and is very close to walking. He also just learned how to feed himself cheerios and crackers about a month ago. We love watching the world through his eyes.

This year has been full of ups and downs for the Cashdollar family. We know we are so blessed to have each other and the restored gospel in our lives. We hope that this season finds all of you happy healthy and blessed. Let us all remember that the Savior is the reason we celebrate this time of year.

With love and warm wishes,
Dave, Courtney, Andalyn & Ryan Cashdollar

My Brother Logan got his Mission Call!!!

Logan has been called to the Canada Calgary Mission!! He reports to the MTC in Provo, UT on April 1st...and that's no joke! :)

After what seemed like 100 people gathering at my parents house about 9:30 pm last night Logan opened his mission call and read it so everyone could hear. You could tell by the look on his face that he was proud and knew that, that is where he should go. The funny thing is that all of us guessed where he would be going and he himself guessed Canada. I guess when it's meant to be it's meant to be! I took a lot of pictures last night but left my camera at my parents house. I'll post pictures of him and the "gathering of nations" at my parents house from last night when I get it back. CONGRATULATIONS LOGAN!! We are so proud of you! The Lord is so pleased to have you as a full time missionary to bring the gospel to those in Calgary!! I love you bud!!

Ahh...the joy lights can bring!

Andalyn LOVES Christmas lights!! It has been her favorite thing about this season so far. For that reason, Dave and I decided to take the kids to "Dove Wood Ct.". It is a very popular Court in Orangevale that the whole street goes ALL OUT...I mean, they don't leave anything untouched!! For those of you who want a great family activity that is FREE it is worth the drive! It is off of Madison Ave and Walnut.

Once we got there, we parked the car, bundles the kids up and walked around Dove Wood Court.

Andalyn and Daddy! They are quite a pair.


Andalyn with the Christmas penguin.


Little Ryan enjoying the lights...sorry about the pink stroller buddy.


My super cute kids enjoying all of the decorations.


Andalyn found some Dancing snowmen and decided to join them...


Here is a video of her moves with the snowmen...


Along with all of the festive lights and decorations, there is a house that focuses on our Saviors birth. I was so proud that Andalyn knew who all of the statues were in the Nativity!


Some people go way over the top...but we really enjoy it. This video is an example of that! This is set up in someones garage!!



We ended the night with some yummy hot chocolate...one of my favorite things about this time of year.

Andalyn with her hot chocolate not to mention a chocolate face.


We had such a great time....and it's all that Andalyn can talk about....so guess where we are going again tonight...yep to Dove Wood Court, see you there!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOGAN!!

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday dear "Ogie"
Happy Birthday to you!!

It was my brother Logan's Birthday yesterday. He turned 19. Needless to say we are so proud of him and his decision to serve his Heavenly Father on a full time mission. We are awaiting his call....any day now! He is a wonderful brother! I love him so much! However I can't help but think of him as that sweet little 2 year old that would recite the phrase that Indigo Montoya would say in Princess Bride:
"Hello my name Indigo Montoya, you killed my Father, prepare to die." I know sounds a little strange...but he is known for that in all his sweetness of being a 2 year old saying those words. Priceless!
We love you Logan...we hope you had a wonderful birthday!!

Our visit to Santa...

On Friday night I took the kids to Elk Grove to attend my parents ward Christmas party. Dave was working....we missed you honey!! Santa was going to be there and I wanted to make sure that we got the kids pictures taken with Santa this year. Last year Dave actually played Santa at my parents ward Christmas party. Andalyn still was freaked out when I went to put her on his lap. She was barley 2 years old so we thought if when she was on his lap he could say "see baby it's just daddy" well for 1 that didn't work at that moment as you can see below, I had to sit on his lap first (8 months pregnant!!)...and 2 she hasn't forgotten that daddy was "Santa" So this year I wanted to make sure she knew Daddy wasn't Santa.

Andalyn and Montana not love'n Santa! last year!

"Santa", Mommy and Andalny barley tolerating Santa last year.

After some talks and seeing Santa on Friday night I think Andalyn is over the "Daddy is Santa" phase...poor thing, we work so hard to get her to believe in Santa and that he's not Daddy....just to tell her later in life she was right all along. :)

Ryan had no problems sitting on Santa's lap...I had him go first so that Andalyn would see that it was ok, cause the second she saw him she was scared. Here is how Ryan's turned out...

And here is Andalyn's....at least she didn't require me to sit on his lap first...this Santa wasn't my husband. :)

We had a lot of fun....thank you mom and dad for always including us in your ward Christmas parties. It's hard to go to my own wards Christmas party and tackle my kids by myself since Dave works on weekends.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!

Christmas Caroling at Shriners Hospital

My sister Tiffany...

This last Wednesday night we went Christmas Caroling at the Shriners Hospital in Sacramento with my family and their young men and women from their ward. It was a wonderful experience. It was great to get together as a family and do something of service during this Christmas season. However, what made it very personal was that my sister Tiffany has been a Shriners patient since she was an infant. As many of you know my twin sisters Tiffany and Nicole were adopted into our family when they were babies....officially at 2 years of age. It's a very long WONDERFUL story and if you would like to know the whole story let me know and I will tell you. But for sake of this not being a book of a post...my sisters were born to a biological mother who had little to no prenatal care and had abused many substances while pregnant. Needless to say we are very lucky to have these beautiful healthy girls in our lives. Both however, have lasting affects of what this women has done.

Tiffany being a patient of Shriners, is due to her uneven in length legs and being born with her hip sockets never forming. She has had many surgeries at Shriners free of charge which is very appreciated and thought of as a huge blessing!! Tiffany is one of my Hero's!! She has endured so much pain in her young life.

So my family wanted to show how appreciative we were of Shriners by caroling to their patients. As I looked at the kids and their families watch us sing to them, I couldn't help but feel emotions felt when Tiffany was there....and knowing a lot of these kids have it way worse off then Tiffany did....and on top of that they are going to spend their Christmas in a hospital. I hope all of us really count our blessings this holiday season! There are so many who have hardships and trials above and beyond our own.

Now....any of you who know the Petersen's know that it is always a party when we get together...this wasn't any acception. Here are some fun pictures I was able to take.


Here is my Andalyn Belle playing with the stuffed animals that they had under their Christmas tree in the lobby of the hospital.


Here is our "double trouble" Andalyn and Montana hugging the elf's that were pulling Santa's sleigh in the lobby.


Ryan and his "Drama" as Andalyn would say.


Ryan and his "Drampa"


Ryan and his Uncle Logan....who is getting his mission call any day now!!!


Ryan and my Aunt Jean....it was so good to see you there!!

Dave and I after the caroling was over. We may have to make this a family tradition....Service always brings more happiness to this time of year!!

Sesame Street Live

This last Wednesday my Mother-in-law took the kids and I to "Sesame Street Live" at the Memorial Auditorium. It was so much fun!! The kids LOVED IT! Even Ryan sat threw 90% of the show with out so much as a peep other than out of excitement! Andalyn was in 7th heaven holding on to her "Zoe" stuffed animal Grandma got her while watching the show! Grandma also got Ryan his own little "Elmo" to keep him company during the show.

Here are some of the Characters in the show....they did such a great job!




Andalyn with "Zoe"!




Mommy with her little ones, and their friends "Zoe" and "Elmo".




Ryan and mommy waiting for the show to start.

This was parked outside...Andalyn went nuts when she saw it...."There they are.....there they are" she exclaimed!!

After the show we met Grandpa Cashdollar at the "Old Spaghetti Factory" in Folsom for some yummy lunch! Andalyn really enjoyed her spaghetti.

Thank you Kathy for such a fun day....we love spending time with you!

A Maad Tea Party!

Yesterday my mother-in-law took Andalyn and I to "A Maad Tea Party" in El Dorado Hills. We had our own little quaint tea party! It was so much fun. We all got to wear hats and eat our little sandwiches and treats....oh and of course sip our tea. Andalyn looked like such a little lady. For a 3 year old she was so good in a place that almost everything was breakable. :) We got threw our little tea party with only a couple spills and lots of smiles. Thanks Kathy for such a fun time!!

Our baby girl turned 3!! Happy Birthday Andalyn!!

Dear Andalyn,

You are our sweet baby girl....and always will be. We can't believe you are three! You are getting to be such a big girl. You can do so many things all by yourself and continue to try new things everyday. We can't help to think, when we look at your sweet face, of the day 3 years ago when you came into our little family. It was November 27, 2005, mommy had been very sick during the last 6 weeks of her pregnancy and was induced to make sure you and mommy stayed healthy. You came to us on Monday night November 28th at 9pm. You were a month early and weighed 6 pounds 1 ounce. From the instant that we saw you we fell in love with you. Although you had some problems the first couple hours after you were born, you came to be by mommies side at 11:30 that night never to leave again. You were so beautiful...mommy made sure you had all of your fingers and toes. Made sure you had your cute little ears and then spend most of that night just staring at you. Daddy and Mommy haven't stopped since. You are such a good little girl and you have surprised us everyday the last 3 years with how fast you can learn and grow. Your little eyes shine with the light of Christ and daddy and mommy count you and your brother our most treasured gifts from our Heavenly Father!! We love you sweetheart and will always be here for you whether you are 3 or 33....Age will never change the fact that you are our baby girl!!

Love always,

Mommy and Daddy!!

ANDALYN'S 3RD BIRTHDAY PARTY WUBBZY STYLE

A week before Andalyn's birthday we threw here a Wow Wow Wubbzy Birthday party. It is one of her favorite shows on Nick Jr. There isn't too many Wubbzy party supplies out there so we had to get creative. My mother in law got a plain white cake from Sam's Club and I decorated it. I was really nervous at first but I think it turned out pretty good. :)

One of Wubbzy's favorite things are "doodleberries" so we had the kids pick "doodleberries" off the wall for their first wubbtastic game. So with their baskets in hand...the kids raced to see who could get the most berries.

For their next game they played pin the tail on Wubbzy....this is what Wubbzy looked like once the kids were done. :)

Andalyn is so lucky to have so many people that love her. Our friends and family brought so many sweet gifts! Here Andalyn is opening a Disney Princess bedding set that her Grandma and Grandpa Cashdollar got her. I don't think it's a coincidence that she is sleeping through the night now without a peep! She loves her princesses!!

I saw this hat on a Wubbzy blog site that took me to a women's blog that hand makes these hats! Isn't it adorable!? It was only $18. If you are interested you can go to her blog http://hottophats.blogspot.com/ she has a variety of hats that she does.

Then it was time to sing to Andalyn, it was so cute she got so shy and embarrassed when everyone started singing. I guess to a 3 year old 35 people in one room singing to you is a bit overwhelming. :) Thanks Uncle Logan for holding the cake. :)

Once all of the planned activities were done...kids being kids...made up their own game. Throw rocks in the pond. As Andalyn would call it nutty nut toss. (From the Wubbzy show)

It was such a fun day...thank you to all of you that came to Andalyn's party. She loved having everyone there! HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDALYN!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I love this time of year. It gives everyone a chance to really reflect on the things that we are thankful for!! As Dave and I were driving from My parents house in Elk Grove where we had our Thanksgiving feast, to my in-laws home in Folsom where we would end our holiday with some yummy homemade pies....he asked me what are the top 5 things I am thankful for. I thought I would share....now they aren't any spectacular things...but it is truly what I am thankful for.


1. My Husband Dave:
Although as married couples do....Dave and I have had some ups and downs in the last 4 1/2 years....I can not imagine my life without him. He is my everything. The only word I can think of when I think of him and what he means to me is......my SAFE place. I feel incredibly safe with him. I trust him with all of my heart. I know that he would do anything for me or our kids. With that being said...I am so thankful for the ups and downs of marriage because if we didn't have those, I know I would not be at this place in my life and feel the way I do about my husband. Dave knows that feeling "safe" is A #1 in my book....and to me honey....you are that safe place for me. I love you!

2. My Kids, Andalyn and Ryan:
I eat, sleep and breath my kids as mothers do. Sometimes that can be wonderful and sometimes it can be a lot to handle. However when I look at my kids and remember where they came from and how uniquely special they are....I fall in love with them as if it was the day I gave birth to them. Nothing will ever take those moments away and for that I am eternally grateful!!

3. Our extended family:
Family means the world to me!! Those who know me well, knows that I am so happy to be back in California....although we only spent a year and a half in Albuquerque, I still was ready to come home. I find such strength in being around my family and my in-laws. I love them all so much! They have been such huge supports to us in every aspect of life. There is nothing like the love of a family.

4. Dave's Job:
If it wasn't for Dave's job with Verizon Wireless we would not have the opportunity for our kids to grow up with there mommy at home. This may not be on everyone's priority list and that's ok...but for us is was. Both of us were so blessed to have mothers who stayed home with us while we were kids. For this we are eternally grateful to our mothers. For that reason we felt it was so important to provide that to our kids. Not only that, but Dave's job provides us with the means we need to live comfortably and have the necessities of life. Thank you honey for working so hard and such long, funky hours! :)

5. A roof over our heads:
I know this one kida fits in with the last one...but when I think about how lucky I am to have a roof over our heads and a bed to put my kids down every night in. I feel incredibly blessed because I know that not everyone is so lucky. I am thankful for a roof that doesn't leak if the weather is bad. I am also thankful for walls that allow us to dwell in a safe place where my children feel loved and where the spirit can be felt.

I hope all of you, even though it is a few days past thanksgiving can dwell and ponder on the thinks you are thankful for even the most simplest of things.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

The Rewards of Facebook!

If you haven't joined facebook, you should definitely think about it. I have gotten in contact with so many people that I have unfortunately lost contact with through the years. I was able to meet up for lunch with my dear friend Rachel Iuli this last Monday. She and I worked together when I was 18 at Stockmans Bank. We became instant friends. Wow...I just realized, we have been friends for 10 years now...gosh time flys! Anyway....we lost contact about 4 years ago. Needless to say I was so excited when I saw that she found me on facebook! She has since moved to San Diego gotten married, and is 4 months pregnant with her first baby! We chatted for over 3 hours about our lives and how grateful we were to have gotten back in contact. I love you Rach...and look forward to seeing you at Christmas time!

www.facebook.com

Fun with the Webb's

A couple weeks ago we spend some time with Kristina and her boys. We had so much fun...I love seeing Kristina. I sometimes can't believe it has been friends for 15 years. Gosh, that makes me feel old. It is so nice to know that our friendship will always be one I can count on! Here is her little guy Rowan going down the slide with Andalyn. Our kids have so much fun together!



Here's my little guy having a blast on the swings! I know he is mine....but dang he is cute!! :)


I wish I had taken more pictures, but we were having so much fun I didn't get a chance. We had so much fun with you Kris....can't wait to see you this weekend!!

Opening Night

I am so excited I can't hardly stand it...I just got Dave and I tickets for the midnight showing on Thursday for Twilight!! I have a feeling this movie will make some history at the box office seeing as the soundtrack is already topping the charts. Who is as excited as I am??

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL MY GIRLS!!

Montana Belle turned 2 on November 9th. Stacy and Marc threw her an awesome Snow White Birthday Party!

Here she is enjoying her yummy cupcake.

What a cutie!!

My sisters Tiffany and Nicole turned 12 on November 10th. The whole family enjoyed celebrating their birthday at Johns Incredible Pizza in Roseville. It was a blast!!

Sam celebrated her 19th Birthday with us on November 10th at Johns Incredible Pizza too!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL MY GIRLS!! We love you and hope you had wonderful days!!