5 years ago today...

...i became a mama.

keith became a daddy.

we welcomed caedmon josiah into this world.

5 years ago today.

it's so hard to believe that the little peanut in that picture up above...

is the big peanut in this picture.

5 years.

i can't comprehend that i have a 5 year old.

it doesn't seem possible!

he is a stubborn, little thing (but he has been since the day he was born---42 hours of labor people!)

but what would we do without that stubbornness in our lives?

i tell ya, our world would be a little less super-hero-ish.

a little less dirty.

a little less loud.

a little less smart.

a little less loving.

a little less fulfilling.

we are so thankful that God blessed us with our "oopsie, honeymoon baby" 5 years ago today.

we love him.

and always will.

m.i.a.

i feel like i've been missing around these parts.

i've been busy.

my parents are in town, and my grandparents get into town tomorrow.

so, i'll be busy for a few more days :)

until then, enjoy a sneak peek at a project i've finished...

i was a guest designer for right at home scrapbooking...and the kit i got was so full of bright colors.

i have to admit, it kind of scared me at first.

i don't work with bright, happy colors that often.

but, i made it work.

i actually love the work i popped out with this kit, so i can't wait to show ya!

**********************************

and thanks to my super cool sister, i finally have some new tunes on my playlist.

she sent me a few mixed CD's...and i've been jammin' to them ever since i got them.

we are 10 years apart (she is a senior in high school) so i count on her to keep me hip and cool.

all right friends, i'll be back soon.

how are you these days?

so proud.

ahh milo.

you make daddy so proud when you wear those high heels.

work it.

still cute.

even in women's shoes.

there's no place like home.

i am so thrilled to finally be an owner of a vintage pearl beauty,

thanks to allyson and erin, .

i love it.

it made me tear up when i opened the package.

isn't it pretty?

no matter where i live,

kansas will always be home.

and there is no place like home.

14 V-Day Accolades for Mrs. Anderson

Yes, I understand that Valentine's Day has passed....but that will not stop me from the "List" For the record, it was prepared pre-Valentine's Day, it is tough to get alone time at home on the computer. It usually would require binding Emily up or sending her away kid-free, both not options that crossed my mind this weekend, or not initiated.
The Accolades:
1) Loves to change poopy diapers
2) Feeds the kids, if anything left feeds herself
3) Is Hip/Fashionable (on a budget)
4) Wants us all to be healthy and live forever, like the Cullens(Twilight ladies you following me)
5) Has learned to lose graciously, except in Maisy memory
6) Is real and authentic
7) Loves to help others
8) Good sense of humor, even when she's mad(sorta on this one, not sure if she is laughing at me because she feels sorry for me or she actually thinks I'm funny)
9)Loves those kids of ours
10) Seeks to love me better(most of the time)
11) Pursues her Passions
12) Not satisfied with with where she is at/Desires to grow
13) Realizes she needs a Saviour
14) She knows it will all be worth it(Specifically the children pay-off)

14 Accolades for the 14 days of February leading to V-day, very creative, I know. So here's the shout out to Mrs. Anderson and my bi-annually post to the family blog.
Eat it up people, see you in 6 months.

love is in the air.

it's almost the big v-day.
do you have plans?
we've been trying to get in the lovey dovey mood but we've all been battling some sort of sickly funk.
i'm on the mend.
milo is on the mend.
keith seems to just now be getting it.
it's the funk that won't go away.
blah.
anywho.
hadley and i made this heart mobile this week.
i was inspired by something i saw on the little birdie secrets blog,

but ours are much more whimsical (aka messy) than what they showed.

and you know your day has to get better when you hear a knock on the door, and this is what you see outside...

a lovely box full of...

lovely tulips.

thanks mr. anderson.

you made me smile.

well mr. anderson and i have a hot date tonight.

although, i don't know how hot it will be considering we are both sick.

oh well.

kid free night?

i'll take it.

sick or not sick.

hope your valentines day is lovely.

can it be possible?

is my little man really 18 months old already?

not a baby anymore.

not quite a big boy yet.

stuck in that in between stage.

such a good stage.

minus the screeching.

once he starts talking, it'll be sooo much better.

right?

thanks to my dear friend, she took some photos of us this weekend, while she was visiting!

the balloons were her idea.

classic.

i love it.

thanks allyson!

miss ya already...

some quick decorating.

okay, so i swear i really live in a new house.

i have never showed a picture of it, because

1. i don't want the stalkers out there to know what the outside of my house looks like.

and 2. the weeds are taller than my house, so it wouldn't be a very pretty picture right now anyways.

but here are some lovely spots inside my home :)

first up.

the naughty chair spot.

the frame is from ikea, that i just filled with some leftover fabric i had.

the chair is my ridiculously overpriced antique store find.

up next.

the playroom.

our playroom is the first room when you walk into our home.

it's supposed to be used for a dining room, but hello people, we do not need/or have the furniture (or better yet, the money to buy the furniture) for a dining room.

one table to eat at is enough for us.

this stage of our lives calls for a playroom, so we embrace it.

i painted it a yellow color.

and the chalkboards, table and chairs are all from ikea.

there is another side to the playroom that has the kids cute wooden kitchen, as well as some storage bins from ikea that house their wooden train set, blocks and play kitchen food.

you have all seen my kitchen, but not since it's been painted.

we painted it sleepy blue.

the same color as our master bedroom.

the same color as our living room.

the same color as milo's room.

the same color as the hallway.

yup, you guessed it. we bought way too much of this paint, so we used it on every wall we possibly could.

did you know my husband was cheap?

well, now you know.
i do love it though.

it's kind of beachy.

and there is the bean sitting on top of the kitchen table (just embrace it) playing candyland.

here's milo's room.

very plain and simple.

i still have things to hang on the walls...shelves and his name.

over at the art is found, they did a challenge using mobiles.

so, here is my take on it.

i made an actual mobile using paper lanterns from (you guessed it) ikea.

i still plan on maybe hanging some small rocket ships or something boyish as well.

by the time that happens, he'll probably be in a big boy bed.

no way.

can't even think of such a thing.

well.

there is a small tour.

i'll take more pictures later and show you more.

later friends.

this time, 7 years ago.

...i met my main squeeze, mr. anderson.

our story is so much more than just a random encounter.

everything in it, was played out by God...

even though he was living in california, and i was living in kansas,

we actually met here, in orlando, at the exact location where he is now employed.

(who knew that 7 years later we would be back in the very place where God had us meet)

we both got selected to come visit crusades headquarters for a weekend trip.

they only selected a handful of students from across the nation.

i made it to orlando, only because God wanted me there.

kansas was having the ice storm of it's life, and my plane was about the only plane to take off that day.

i arrived in orlando, 8 hours late.

the meetings had already begun, so i sat there in the hotel lobby, waiting for everyone to get back, so i could get checked in.

and then.

in walked my asian.

my asian with a fro.

an asian with a fro?

have you ever seen such a thing?

i was clearly intrigued from the first moment.

he was just my type.

my list of things i wanted in my future husband included shaggy hair and thrift store clothing.

he was perfect.

all things led to us being put in the same group all weekend.

the very last night, our group had dinner together.

keith sat next to me, and after we finished, he leaned over and asked "are you gonna finish that?"

he then proceeded to eat the rest of my food off of my plate.

i was in love.

we both had early flights the next morning so we decided to stay up all night and talk.

we sat by a pond and talked the night away.

about our past.

about our future.

about our hopes and dreams.

he wanted 5 kids.

i wanted 5 kids.

it was a perfect match.

i found the man i wanted to spend my life with.

we both packed up and headed back to our respective states.

he came to visit me 2 weeks later, and from then on our relationship bloomed.

we dated long distance for 11 months.

he moved to KS.

we got married 4 months later.

our youngest son was doing what he does best last night and destroying our book shelf.

he pulled off a book and out fell a random snapshot of pictures, from when we were dating.

how fitting that we find that on the very weekend that we met, 7 years ago.

ahh, we were so young.

i can proudly say that i am with the man that God made for me.

we have our ups and downs, but i wouldn't have it any other way.

he takes care of me and our children.

he leads us towards knowing God even better.

i'm so glad that i met mr. anderson, 7 years ago.

look at us now...

3 kids later, about to celebrate 6 years of marriage.

life is good.

when i grow up.

caedmon: mom, when i grow up and i'm a daddy, i'm going to change my name.

me: really? okay, what are you going to change it too?

caedmon: speed racer ben ten anderson

and i want to drive fast cars.

me: interesting.

i should probably be offended that he wants to change the name that we thought and prayed over for quite sometime, but oh well.

i'm not.

i don't think speed racer ben ten anderson is going to stick.